As we delve into the top 10 of our t0p 20 Calgary Flames draft picks countdown, it’s rather appropriate that the #10 pick is still active in the Stanley Cup playoffs, albeit for a different team.

The eldest son of longtime National Hockey League player Keith Tkachuk, Matthew was born in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1997 (while his father played for the Coyotes) but was primarily raised in the St. Louis area. He followed his father into hockey and was part of a really talented cohort of young hockey players in that neck of the woods, playing on youth teams with the likes of Luke Kunin, Logan Brown and Clayton Keller. (Names like Trent Frederic, Joseph Woll and Matthew’s younger brother Brady went through St. Louis minor hockey a little later than Matthew.)

Tkachuk went on to play two seasons in the United States National Development Program, spending 2013-14 with their under-17 team and 2014-15 with their under-18 team, capturing gold medals at the Under-17 Hockey Challenge and the Under-18 World Championship. Despite previously committing to the University of Notre Dame, Tkachuk instead opted to play for the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights (who had drafted him in 2013) for his 18-year-old season, 2015-16. The Knights were a powerhouse already, and adding Tkachuk made them moreso. Tkachuk meshed really well with Christian Fischer and Mitch Marner, helping lead the Knights to capture the OHL crown and the Memorial Cup.

One of the most highly-rated players in the 2016 NHL Draft class, Tkachuk ended up falling into the Flames’ lap as a consequence of Columbus surprising many by selecting Pierre-Luc Dubois at third overall. (Dubois was highly-regarded, but not quite as high as third overall.) Tkachuk signed his entry-level deal a couple weeks later and ended up making the Flames roster out of training camp… and never looked back.

If we’re going to attempt to boil down Tkachuk’s rapid success with the Flames to two factors, it’s that he’s really smart and the Flames gave him a clear role. He spent his first four seasons on Mikael Backlund’s left side on the “tough minutes” shutdown line, usually flanked by Michael Frolik (2016-19) or Andrew Mangiapane (2019-20). Matched up against the other team’s top guns and being asked to try to out-score them, the challenge really seemed to suit the ultra-competitive Tkachuk.

Yeah, his competitive nature got him a rough reputation early on, as he was speaking rather frequently with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety during his first couple seasons. He was suspended three times during his first two seasons, but then he seemingly figured out where the line was separating competitive play and “Oh god Matthew please don’t do that.”

Let’s put this a different way: for five of Tkachuk’s six seasons with the Flames, he was put on a consistent line with a consistent role. For all five of those seasons, his line was the Flames’ best line and one of the top lines in the entire NHL. Was that because the Flames gave Tkachuk clear parameters under which to operate? Sure! Was Tkachuk going to make his line stronger regardless of instructions? Yeah, probably. He’s a really good player, and he probably got up to his potential faster than anticipated because he was given effective guardrails. By the time he was thrown onto a pure scoring line in 2020-21, his two-way play was rock-solid because of his experience playing with Backlund on a shutdown line. He didn’t need to change much.

In terms of production, Tkachuk kept growing his output over six seasons. His peak was 40 goals and 109 points in 2021-22, but he also had a pair of 20-goal campaigns (23 in 2019-20, 24 in 2017-18). Arguably the most impressive offensive accomplishment, given his role at the time, was scoring 34 goals and 77 points in 2018-19 while playing on the shutdown line with Backlund and Frolik. Tkachuk received votes for the Calder Trophy in his rookie year, finishing in seventh spot behind the winner, Auston Matthews. He returned to awards ballots in 2021-22, receiving votes for the Hart Trophy and Selke Trophy, and was voted to the Second All-Star Team.

A restricted free agent following the 2022 season, Tkachuk received pitches from a few teams and informed the Flames of his desire for a long-term future elsewhere. After a few days of negotiations, the Flames signed Tkachuk to an eight year contract extension, then traded him to the Florida Panthers (along with a 2025 fourth-round pick) in exchange for Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, Cole Schwindt and a 2025 first-round pick. It was the NHL’s first-ever sign and trade deal.

Tkachuk played 431 games with the Flames over six seasons, posting 152 goals and 382 points. He was a driving force on the team’s best line for the majority of his tenure with the club. When he left, he helped orchestrate a scenario where he went where he wanted, and the Flames received a bunch of assets in the process. For a sixth overall selection, Tkachuk provided the Flames with an impressive amount of value.

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