When the Panthers traded for Matthew Tkachuk, they knew who they were adding to the squad. “We are thrilled to be able to add a generational talent to our lineup,” Panthers GM Bill Zito had said after the completion of the deal in July 2022. And it has worked out just the way they wanted. On the flip side, the Calgary Flames may be thinking about what could have been. Well, there’s no point living in the past. And three years after the trade, the Flames have finally decided on one of the trade terms.

B/R Open Ice dropped the big update on X on June 24. “The Calgary Flames will officially pick 32nd overall in this year’s NHL Draft, as final compensation for the Matthew Tkachuk trade”. Matthew Tkachuk joined the Atlantic Division franchise as part of a deal that saw the Flames also give up a conditional 4th-round pick in 2025. In turn, the Pacific Division got Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, Cole Schwindt, and a conditional 1st-round pick in 2025.

Well, the Flames’ 32nd overall pick wasn’t as straightforward as it sounds. That spot could have very well gone to the Philadelphia Flyers. When the Panthers traded right-winger Claude Giroux from Philly, the Cats gave up their 2024 1st round pick. But guess what, the Edmonton Oilers took that 1st round pick from Philly in exchange for the 2025 1st round spot.

Now the Oilers finished runner-up in the 2024-25 season and got the 31st overall Draft pick, which means the Flyers will pick 31st and the Flames will go last in 32nd. In addition to the 32nd pick overall, Calgary also has an 18th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, which is the result of a trade with the New Jersey Devils. Overall, the Flames finished 15th in the NHL regular season standings and 4th in the Pacific Division with 96 points.

With a plan to rebuild, the Flames will target names like Cole Reschny, Braeden Cootes, Ben Kindel, and the like. All of them are centers and will be priority prospects who can replace Mikael Backlund and Nazem Kadri in the following years. Besides the 2 first-round picks, the Flames also have 2 second-round picks and one in the third round.

As for the Panthers, they enter yet another season with no picks in the 1st round. Not that they would mind, though. The way their trades have worked out, starting from Matthew Tkachuk to Brad Marchand, they will so happily give away their pick in the 1st Round if it means winning the Stanley Cup year after year. And it all started with the Tkachuk trade.

The Matthew Tkachuk decision that began the Paul Maurice reign

When Paul Maurice was announced as the Florida Panthers coach, there was immediately a shift to play a more robust style of game on the ice. And Maurice’s first target was Matthew Tkachuk, the power forward at Calgary Flames who had just scored 42 goals and 62 assists in the 2021-22 season. For that, the Panthers even decided to let go of Jonathan Huberdeau. Huberdeau had just scored 30 goals and 85 assists in the 2021-22 campaign, a Panthers record in assists and points.

That’s what made it a blockbuster of a trade. As for the Panthers, they knew the direction they were going. When Tkachuk came in, Bill Zito made his statement clear. “Matthew is a tenacious, physical competitor who possesses a tremendously unique skillset.” Regarding Tkachuk as “a consistent elite offensive contributor” who is also “one of the most complete and dynamic young players” in the NHL, the Panthers were announcing their plan to build a team that is elite offensively and defensively.

3 years down the line, the Florida Panthers are back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions. They have reached the Finals every season under Paul Maurice. The players have completely bought into the physical style of play, and if anything, they are a constant threat on the road. And guess who took home the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2025: Matthew Tkachuk’s teammate of 8 years, an embodiment of physical menace for the opponents, and the top scorer of the 2025 Playoffs, Sam Bennett.