Ex-Teammate Reveals Why Matthew Tkachuk Wouldn't Re-Sign in Calgary

Johnny Gaudreau walking to free agency was a serious enough gut-punch for the Calgary Flames. Matthew Tkachuk wanting out was the K.O. punch that would send the Flames down a dark, tumultuous road. Or so, we thought.

The Flames and GM Brad Treliving did well to mitigate the two gigantic losses this summer, possibly even improving the team in the process, which -- frankly -- is a tall order, considering they won their division last season.

Even so, many were left asking the question, 'why couldn't the Flames keep either or both of their young American stars?' Sure, Calgary might not be the ideal destination in North America, but I do not think it is so bad that two separate stars would turn down huge sums of money to play there. The team was headed in the right direction, management appears committed to winning, and they have a strong group. So why couldn't they keep Gaudreau or Tkachuk?

Well, we know that Gaudreau simply wanted to be close to family. Tkachuk likely wanted a similar arrangement, but there is more to the story. According to Adam Ružička, currently a restricted free-agent for Calgary, Tkachuk really wanted the captain's 'C,' and when he didn't receive it, he wasn't thrilled. Ružička recently appeared on Slovakian podcast 'Boris a Brambor' and offered the following quote:

The whole podcast is in Slovakian, so unless you speak the language, you might have a hard time harvesting information from the episode.

Ružička, 23, is a year younger than Tkachuk, and the two likely spent a lot of time together, between rookie camps and the general ascent up the Flames' ranks. Ružička was a fourth-round pick of the Flames and has spent more time in the AHL than with the big club, although he set an all-time high in games played last season with 28.

As for Tkachuk, I can only imagine the dynamic between he and head coach Darryl Sutter; two of the most decorated hockey families being represented by two of its best. Tkachuk could have a million reasons for wanting out of Calgary, but not receiving the captain's 'C' was obviously one of them. In the end, both sides made out positively, which is all you can ask for.

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