“Players of that magnitude” – Flames regroup from their loss by signing Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, and Nazem Kadri
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Nazem Kadri, MacKenzie Weegar, and Jonathan Huberdeau
Calgary Flames lost its two important key players, Johnny Gaudreau, and Matthew Tkachuk as they decided not to sign up with the team for anything long-term. Though their lineup shook a bit because of the hole the players left, the team managed to patch that up quickly by signing up Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, and Nazem Kadri.
Gaudreau ranked 2nd in NHL with a score of 115 points with 40 goals and 75 assists last season, while Tkachuk carried a score of 104 points with 42 goals and 62 assists. Just the night before free agency, Gaudreau announced that he would like to move, and a similar incident happened with Tkachuk, as he stated that he’s not interested in signing a long-term contract with the team.
Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, and Nazem Kadri ready with Flames for next season
Ultimately, Gaudreau signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets on a 7-year $68.25 million contract, while Tkachuk was traded to the Panthers on July 22. In turn, the Flames acquired forward Jonathan Huberdeau who tied Gaudreau for 2nd in the NHL with a career-high of 115 points with 30 goals and 85 assists, and defenceman MacKenzie Weegar who set a career-high in goals, assists, and points.
Huberdeau signed an 8-year $84 million contract while Weegar signed a 3-year $9.75 million contract, according to spotrac.com. The Calgary Flames also signed up Stanley Cup champion Nazem Kadri in a 7-year $49 million contract on Thursday. Even though the team’s lineup shook for a bit, they quickly gathered players and filled up the gap with strong players once again.
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Kadri noted, “Well, certainly a great rebound”. “Definitely not easy losing your two best players, and that was something I’m sure a lot of people were concerned about. But in retrospect, I think the return has been pretty significant.” “Certainly, that’s kind of alarming to anybody when you lose players of that magnitude”.
He continued, “Brad’s done a great job of getting some return, some valuable players. Johnny Huberdeau and Weegar are great players, part of a great team last year. The best team, Presidents’ Trophy, of course. Any time you can add players of that magnitude, it’s certainly intriguing.”
Being a Stanley Cup champion the last season sure did leave a deep mark on the 31-year-old, “Being at the pinnacle of hockey and winning the Stanley Cup (last season), it’s almost that addictive feeling of winning, of getting to the playoffs, playing meaningful games, scoring meaningful goals. I think that’s something you always cherish as a hockey player. I know with Calgary, we’re going to get another opportunity to do that.”
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Kaushani Chatterjee
(2140 Articles Published)