Darryl Sutter Elaborates on the Personal Nature of Tkachuk's Trade Request
No team in the NHL saw a greater exodus of star players than the Calgary Flames. All told, the Flames lost 259 points from four separate players; most of which came from Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau.
That magnitude of subtraction would have the utmost affect on any club, but for the Flames, they lost pretty much the entire source of their offense. So far in 2022, they're paying for it.
There has been lots of speculation on why Tkachuk and Gaudreau left, but the simple fact is: being so far away from family - with an international border in the mix - would take its toll on anyone.
Flames' head coach Darryl Sutter believes that very fact was central to Matthew Tkachuk's decision to leave.
"Well, it had nothing to do with Calgary, Matthew. I think Covid sort of alienated him from his family, from the US, from all the - you could see it last year. There were times last year I felt sorry for Matthew. He's a guy who's always at the rink and I was always at the rink, and he missed - he couldn't do nothing, he couldn't go anywhere. He couldn't go home. So, you know, good on him for going to Brad about it, quite honest. That's what I think."
If you want to hear Sutter discuss the Tkachuk trade, skip ahead to about the 3:00 mark. He makes a valid point and clearly doesn't feel the least bit bitter about it.
Realistically, the circumstances called for the trade and no side is to blame; not the city of Calgary nor the player. And all said & done, the Flames made out pretty well. Although, they would certainly like to see improvement in the end results this season, going 7-7-2 so far.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 19 | 647 ANSWERS Darryl Sutter Elaborates on the Personal Nature of Tkachuk's Trade Request Will the Flames make the playoffs despite losing Tkachuk and Gaudreau? | ||
| Yes | 409 | 63.2 % |
| No | 168 | 26 % |
| See results | 70 | 10.8 % |
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