Teams interested in the services of Matthew Tkachuk will not be able to file a hostile offer for the forward because the Calgary Flames have completed the necessary paperwork to take their case to a referee on Monday.

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The 24-year-old athlete, Alberta’s sixth overall pick in 2016, has just completed a three-year contract that has earned him $7 million per season, he is now a restricted free agent.

By doing so, the Flames remove any risk of another National League team making an attractive offer to their star player, in addition to giving themselves the chance to reach an agreement with him before deciding before a referee. .

Keeping Tkachuk on should prove costly, however, as he just wrapped up his career-best campaign, producing 104 points in 82 games, topping the average of a point per game for the first time. of his young career.

In addition to Tkachuk, the Flames must manage the file of Andrew Mangiapane, also a restricted free agent, who recently lost the services of Johnny Gaudreau, who preferred to join the ranks of the Columbus Blue Jackets when the market opened. free agents on July 13.