Nearly five months have passed since the blockbuster trade between the Florida Panthers and Calgary Flames and both teams are struggling to find the same success they enjoyed a season ago.
On July 22, the Panthers acquired Matthew Tkachuk from the Calgary Flames in exchange for a package of Jonathan Huberdeau, defenceman MacKenzie Weegar, prospect Cole Schwindt and a conditional first-round pick in 2025.
Here is a look and how players and teams have fared before and after their off-season changes.
Tkachuk Producing as Panthers Struggle
Tkachuk suited up in all 82 games for the Flames last season and produced career highs in goals, assists and total points.
The 25-year-old Scottsdale, Ariz., native, who signed an eight-year, $76 million contract with the Panthers after the trade, is on pace to fall just shy of those totals in his first season in the south. He has 14 goals and 39 points through 31 games, having missed three games this season.
Matthew Tkachuk - Season Comparisons
| Season | Team | Games Played | Goals | Assists | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | Flames | 82 | 42 | 62 | 104 |
| 2022-23 | Panthers | 31 | 14 | 25 | 39 |
| 2022-23 (projected) | Panthers | 75 | 34 | 60 | 94 |
Tkachuk's close to repeated success, however, has not been reflected in the Panthers' record.
Florida earned a league-high 122 points last season before being swept by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round. Through 34 games this season, the Panthers sit sixth in the Atlantic Division - seven points behind third-place Tampa - and four points back of the second wild-card spot.
Florida Panthers- Season Comparison
| Season | Games | Record | Points | Division Standings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 82 | 58-18-6 | 122 | 1st in Atlantic |
| 2022-23 | 34 | 15-15-4 | 34 | 6th in Atlantic |
Huberdeau Well Off 2021-22 Pace with Flames
Huberdeau, who signed an eight-year, $84 million extension after joining the Flames, tallied a career-high 115 points with the Panthers in 2021-22.
The 29-year-old is currently on pace for a significant drop in production this season with Calgary. He has five goals and 22 points in 30 games and is currently projected to accumulate less than 60 points.
Jonathan Huberdeau - Season Comparisons
| Season | Team | Games Played | Goals | Assists | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | Panthers | 80 | 30 | 85 | 115 |
| 2022-23 | Flames | 30 | 5 | 17 | 22 |
| 2022-23 (projected) | Flames | 75 | 12 | 42 | 55 |
The Flames also committed to Weegar long-term after the deal, signing the defenceman to an eight-year, $50 million extension.
Coming off a career-best season in goals, assists and plus-minus, Weegar too is not on pace to match those totals this season.
The 28-year-old has yet to score this season and has just seven assists through 32 games after posting 36 assists last season.
MacKenzie Weegar - Season Comparisons
| Season | Team | Games Played | Goals | Assists | Total Points | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | Panthers | 80 | 8 | 36 | 44 | 40 |
| 2022-23 | Flames | 32 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 |
| 2022-23 (projected) | Flames | 80 | 0 | 17 | 17 | 7 |
Unsurprisingly with their new additions struggling, the Flames too have regressed from a season ago.
Calgary won the Pacific Division and eventually fell 4-1 to the Edmonton Oilers in the second round of the post-season last year.
Entering play Thursday, the Flames are currently three points back of a playoff spot in the Pacific Division and two points out of a wild-card position.
Calgary Flames - Season Comparison
| Season | Games | Record | Points | Division Standings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 82 | 50-21-11 | 111 | 1st in Pacific |
| 2022-23 | 33 | 15-12-6 | 36 | 5th in Pacific |
Losing Gaudreau, Adding Kadri a Wash for Flames
Prior to the Tkachuk trade, the Flames off-season was headlined by losing Johnny Gaudreau in free agency to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
A month later, the Flames made their biggest free-agent splash, signing Nazem Kadri who was coming off a Stanley Cup championship with the Colorado Avalanche.
Both players are currently on pace to see drop-offs from their totals last season with their new teams.
Kadri had a career-high 87 points (28 goals, 59 assists) with Colorado last season. Like his new Flames' teammates, he is on pace to fall short of those totals and produce 64 points in 2022-23.
After posting 40 goals and 75 assists for 115 points with the Flames last season, Gaudreau is on pace for 88 points with Columbus this season.
Kadri vs. Gaudreau - 2022-23 Comparison
| Player | Team | Games Played | G | A | Total | Projected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nazem Kadri | Flames | 33 | 13 | 13 | 26 | 32-32-64 |
| Johnny Gaudreau | Blue Jackets | 32 | 10 | 24 | 34 | 26-62-88 |
Playoffs Still Ahead For Flames, Panthers?
While both teams have fallen short of expectations so far this season, the post-season remains within reach for both franchises.
In fact, FanDuel currently has both the Flames and Panthers as betting favourites to make the playoffs in some fashion.
Calgary is -380 to make the post-season in any fashion, while the Panthers face longer odds at -130.
