(Edmonton) For six seasons, Matthew Tkachuk sported a uniform decorated with a letter “C” with a burning flame attached to it. But on the eve of his return to Calgary, he tried not to get too fired up.
“Of course I thought about it,” Tkachuk said after the Florida Panthers practice late Monday morning in Edmonton ahead of the Oilers game tonight.
“But as long as tomorrow [mardi] won’t have happened, I probably won’t be able to give you a good answer on that. »
The NHL schedule designer did his best to minimize the drama of a Tkachuk return.
The Panthers play two games in Alberta in two nights. First, in Edmonton, where Tkachuk was public enemy number one for six seasons. On Tuesday, the Panthers will play at the Saddledome, a sports arena where Tkachuk was a hero.
There is no day off between the two games to help build up the hype and very few opportunities for the media to shine cameras and tape recorders on the American power forward.
“Right now it’s a lot like any trip abroad,” Tkachuk replied when asked what he expected during his stopover in Calgary. “I don’t feel anything particularly special about this one. [contre les Oilers]but I’m sure it will be [spécial] tomorrow.
“We have the game tonight, and our team is fully focused on this one, not letting emotions drag us beyond this game. But tomorrow will be special for me, that’s for sure. »
Tkachuk, who enjoyed a 104-point campaign with the Flames in 2021-22 and amassed 382 points in six seasons in Calgary, was traded to Florida in the offseason for forward Jonathan Huberdeau and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar.
It’s the kind of mega-deal you don’t see much of in the NHL these days, because a lot of clubs have very little wiggle room with the salary cap.
But it was one of general manager Brad Treliving’s moves in an overall plan to quickly rebuild the Flames after star forward Johnny Gaudreau decided to join the Columbus Blue Jackets as a free agent.
Heading into Monday’s game, Tkachuk had 27 points in 18 games with the Panthers while Huberdeau had 10, also in 18 games.