NHL Trade: Updated Odds Post Calgary, Florida Blockbuster

The Flames and Panthers completed a blockbuster trade on Friday that reverberated around the NHL, a deal that has impacted both hockey clubs’ 2022-23 Stanley Cup odds. 

Florida and Calgary’s NHL betting lines shifted after news about the huge trade broke. Matthew Tkachuk is now a part of the Panthers organization, while Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar and Cole Schwindt will suit up for the Flames. 

Calgary also received a lottery-protected 2025 first-round draft and a conditional fourth-round pick in the impressive haul. 

Huberdeau and Weegar will become unrestricted free agents at the end of 2022-23 season, adding pressure on the Flames to sign the pair before potentially losing them, like they did Johnny Gaudreau, for nothing. 

Whether Huberdeau and Weegar re-sign in Calgary or not, Flames general manager Brad Treliving should be lauded for the last-minute miracle he pulled off. He wasn’t about to lose another franchise player while getting nothing in return. 

Calgary Flames

Opening 2022-23 Stanley Cup Odds:+1800
After Gaudreau’s exit and news of Tkackuk not re-signing: +2300
Current 2022-23 Stanley Cup Odds:+2200

Calgary general manager Brad Treliving was forced into a cold and dark corner when Tkachuk – just a week after Gaudreau left for Columbus – told the organization he had no intention of re-signing. 

That news and Johnny Hockey’s departure moved the Calgary Flames futures odds from +1800 to +2300. Even worse, hope had seeped out of Calgary en masse. While there’s a lot to flesh out regarding the long-term implications of the deal, the Flames bought some time and managed not to completely ostracize themselves from the Stanley Cup conversation. 

With the arrival of Huberdeau – who finished the 2021-22 campaign with 115 points and a share of second with Gaudreau on the top-scorers list – and Weeger, a top-four defenseman who played on the Panthers’ top pair, the Flames still constitute a decent, if not outside Stanley Cup futures choice. 

Treliving could not entertain the idea of yet another rebuild in Calgary and prevented it with this deal. Only time will tell what becomes of Huberdeau and Weeger, but the Flames have maintained their stance as a team built to win now. 

Considering what Treliving and company were up against, the Flames came out of this deal on top. 

Treliving won’t rest on his laurels and will do everything he can to sign Huberdeau and Weeger to long-term deals while finding a suitable replacement for Gaudreau. But in the meantime, at least a semblance of hope has been restored in Calgary. 

Those who have already locked the Flames in as their futures pick for 2022-23 can rest easier, at least for now. 

Florida Panthers

Opening 2022-23 Stanley Cup Odds: +1000 
Current 2022-23 Stanley Cup Odds: +900

The Florida Panthers are all in on winning the Stanley Cup. If that wasn’t obvious by their Presidents’ Trophy-winning 2021-22 campaign, it certainly is now. However, many people in the hockey world are still scratching their heads about what transpired late on Friday evening. 

The Panthers were desperate to land Tkachuk, who enjoyed a career year in Calgary. The 24-year-old notched 104 points, a career-best. He scored over 40 goals (42) for the first time and was, along with Gaudreau, the face of the Flames’ franchise. 

Panthers general manager Bill Zito is banking on Tkachuk continuing his upward trajectory. Zito gave up his top scorer, who is still only 29 years old, and one of his top defensemen, 28-year-old Weegar, to get his man.  

Tkachuk also agreed to a $76 million, eight-year deal with the Panthers. 

In the immediate aftermath of the deal, the Panthers Stanley Cup odds shortened slightly, going from +1000 to +900. Though not a seismic shift, Florida will take any improvement they can get on their chances to lift the Holy Grail for the first time in franchise history. 

However, the $76 million looming question in Florida, which won’t be answered for the foreseeable future, is whether securing Tkachuk is worth what, more to the point who, they were forced to give up.