Tkachuk is the best player on the Flames and if they lose Tkachuk, the team will definitely need to start over and rebuild. They believed they were a cup contender this past season and went all in at the deadline, only to lose in 5 games to the Edmonton Oilers in round 2.
Matthew Tkachuk is currently an RFA and has been a little resistant to sign a deal with the Flames, but he did not file for arbitration, but the Flames pulled off a rare move and filed for Team Elected Arbitration.
So if people are a little confused here, this is what it means. By filing for team elected arbitration, this prevents Tkachuk from signing any offer sheets offered by another team, and it gives the Flames some extra time to negotiate. The issue for the Flames taking this route though is now Matthew Tkachuk can sign a one year deal from the arbitrator and walk right into free agency next year as a UFA.
So filing for this, the Flames will have to live with whatever the arbitrator offers, regardless of the price.
