Nashville Predators: Matthew Tkachuk Sweepstakes Fun While it Lasted

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Now that Nashville Predators acquired Matthew Tkachuk, can we all just move on from this fairytale that he was going to join the team?

You know, I was starting to get sucked into the Tkachuk hype and believe that the Nashville Predators may actually land the 100-plus-point scoring wrecking ball. But in the end, the price was exorbitant, and I couldn’t afford it.

With Jonathan Huberdeau and a handful of more quality players, the Florida Panthers were able to move one of their own 100-point scorers:

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Tkachuk, a restricted free agent, received an eight-year, $9.5 million contract deal from the Florida Panthers as an RFA. That length terrifies me for nearly every player in the world except for Connor McDavid and a few other future stars, yes. He’s good.

After Johnny Gaudreau left for the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Calgary Flames have had a terrible offseason. Tkachuk’s return on investment has to be a big deal for them.

The Nashville Predators’ offseason continues to be fantastic.

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With the addition of Nino Niederreiter to their top-six, the Nashville Predators’ offseason is still going swimmingly despite the team’s most recent trade deadline acquisition. In the first round of the playoffs, the Colorado Avalanche showed a vulnerability in the lineup that was urgently required.

Tkachuk’s future became a topic of conversation as soon as the Predators emerged as a serious contender to acquire him. When the Predators gave up Huberdeau, it was likely that the team would lose a player like Philip Tomasino, but it was unlikely that Calgary would be interested.

Dante Fabbro, Eeli Tolvanen, and several important prospects like Luke Evangelista, as well as former 11th-overall choice Yaroslav Askarov, were also being tossed around as trade assets.

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These sweepstakes were also a surprise for the Panthers. The St. Louis Blues, Vegas Golden Knights, and New Jersey Devils were all said to be in the running alongside the Predators. To name a few.

Tkachuk was the only one who truly knew the truth. There has been a lot of drama in the NHL offseason, so seeing this happen live was a treat. It’s been a treat to see this unfold.

The Panthers’ pursuit of Tkachuk is an intriguing one. The Panthers have struggled in the postseason despite their regular-season dominance. To win the Stanley Cup, can Tkachuk provide them the extra edge? Given the monetary toll that losing Huberdeau would exact, I’m not persuaded.

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Imagine what this Predators club could have accomplished with Tkachuk, Filip Forsberg, Matt Duchene, Mikael Granlund and the newly acquired Nino Niederreiter on board. That’s a fantasy we can all dream about! It’s true that the Nashville Predators had a successful offseason, and there’s a lot of optimism for the next season.

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