A major trade offer submitted by the Carolina Hurricanes is still generating plenty of buzz today. The Matthew Tkachuk trade in 2022 continues to haunt the Calgary Flames, and fresh details from Elliotte Friedman are only adding fuel to the fire.
As a reminder, the Flames received Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, prospect Cole Schwindt, and a first-round pick from the Florida Panthers in exchange for their star forward. We know what happened next. Tkachuk transformed Florida, which went on to win two Stanley Cups, while Huberdeau collapsed in Calgary after signing an $84 million contract.
Four years later, Friedman dropped a major piece of information on Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts podcast: the Carolina Hurricanes were finalists, and their offer was much better. Looking back, it doesn’t paint Calgary in a flattering light. Because the details of that offer are painful.
According to Friedman, Carolina was offering forward Martin Necas, defenseman Alexander Nikishin, Jake Gardiner’s contract for Calgary to absorb, along with one or two first-round picks. That package has aged so much better. Necas established himself as a high-end offensive forward, while Nikishin confirmed his status as a top-level prospect.
Yet GM Brad Treliving chose Florida’s offer. He later joined the Toronto Maple Leafs, though he is no longer there today. Choosing Carolina’s offer could have changed everything for Calgary. Instead, the Flames are still paying the price.
The contrast is stark. What Calgary received has largely underdelivered relative to expectations and cost, while the assets Carolina put on the table have developed into genuine difference-makers. Necas has produced at a high level as a dynamic offensive player, and Nikishin has solidified his reputation as a premier young defenseman prospect. Adding the salary dump of Gardiner’s contract and the flexibility of extra first-round selections only strengthens the case that Carolina’s proposal represented superior long-term value.
Treliving’s decision locked the Flames into a different trajectory—one defined by the struggles of a high-priced forward who never recaptured his previous form and a roster that has yet to recover the star power it surrendered. The Hurricanes, by contrast, continued building toward contention without those specific assets, underscoring how differently the trade could have unfolded for Calgary.
In the cold light of hindsight, the rejected four-player (plus picks) package from Carolina stands as one of the more consequential “what-if” moments of the decade. For Flames fans still living with the consequences of the Tkachuk deal, Friedman’s revelation has reopened old wounds and sharpened the sense that a better path was available—and declined.