MATTHEW TKACHUK

By Jan Levine, RotoWireSpecial to Yahoo SportsThis week's article looks at the first-half fantasy All-Star teams. Those numbers came after Thompson managed just 18 goals and 35 points in his first 140 NHL games. One caveat is that Thompson missed the All-Star Game with an upper-body injury that plagued him last week, so check his status going forward. He has taken another step forward this season, notching 33 goals and as many assists in 51 games. He is up to 27 goals and 44 assists in 50 games, putting him on pace to exceed last year's total.

SUNRISE, Fla. — (AP) — Matthew Tkachuk is under contract to the Florida Panthers for much of the next decade. And right there are two compelling reasons for players to join the Panthers in the coming years. So much about the Panthers has changed over the last few years, and All-Star weekend was both confirmation and affirmation. “There’s no quick-fixes,” Florida Panthers president Matthew Caldwell said. And the Panthers can only hope some All-Stars this weekend took notice.

Matthew Tkachuk is under contract to the Florida Panthers for much of the next decade.

SUNRISE, Fla. — (AP) — Florida's Matthew Tkachuk was right at home at the NHL All-Star Game. All-Star Game MVP Matthew Tkachuk — playing alongside his brother Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators — had seven points on the day, after a five-point outburst in a semifinal win over the Metropolitan Division. It was the first time the Atlantic won the All-Star Game, after six previous tries in the divisional format. “It was so much fun," Larkin said after the first final game hat trick in this All-Star format. Matthew Tkachuk has now been on the winning team in both of his All-Star appearances, and both times, he enjoyed the comforts of home.

SUNRISE, Fla. — (AP) — The Central Division and the Atlantic Division have reached the final of the NHL All-Star Game. Neither division has won the All-Star Game in six previous editions of the 3-on-3 format. The All-Star Game is a series of three games — all 3-on-3, all 20 minutes in length. This year marks the seventh time that the NHL used the divisional-team tournament format for the All-Star Game. The Pacific Division won the first such game, the Metropolitan Division won the second, and they continued alternating wins in all six editions under this format — but neither made the final Saturday.

Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk was right at home at the NHL All-Star Game.

EDMONTON, Alberta — (AP) — Evan Bouchard scored the tying goal with 5 seconds remaining in the third period and Leon Draisaitl got the winner 22 seconds into overtime as the Edmonton Oilers beat the Florida Panthers 4-3 on Monday night. Early in the extra period, Draisaitl took a pass from Connor McDavid and scored his 13th for the win. The 27-second gap marked the shortest time between a team scoring a regulation goal and an OT goal in NHL history. ... We kind of stole it late.”Tyson Barrie also scored and Zach Hyman had three assists for the Oilers. ... Undrafted forward James Hamblin made his NHL debut for the Oilers after being called up from Bakersfield of the AHL.

Johnny Gaudreau joining Columbus headlined a busy offseason of player movement around the NHL. “We didn’t want to put Band-Aid solutions when we did this: try to sign free agents, make one trade and then one year you’re in, the other year you’re out. The Avalanche signed Georgiev to a three-year contract and will pair him with Czech veteran Pavel Francouz. “He’s got a really good toolbox. Hopefully in a new environment we’re able to get the most out of him, and if we can do that we’re going to have a really good defenseman on our hands who’s only 25 years old.”___More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2022 The Associated Press.

Johnny Gaudreau leaving Calgary for Columbus headlined a busy offseason of player movement around the NHL.

Gritty forward Nazem Kadri has signed a seven-year, $49 million contract with the Calgary Flames.

(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File) (Frank Franklin II)CALGARY, Alberta — (AP) — The Calgary Flames and recently acquired forward Jonathan Huberdeau have agreed to an $84 million, eight-year contract extension. The 29-year-old Huberdeau came to Calgary from the Florida Panthers with defenseman MacKenzie Weegar, forward Cole Schwindt and a conditional 2025 first-round pick last month for star forward Matthew Tkachuk. His point total had him tied for second in the NHL, while his 85 assists were a league best. The Saint-Jerome, Quebec, native had spent his entire 10-year career with the Panthers after being drafted third overall in 2011. ___More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2022 The Associated Press.

The Calgary Flames and recently acquired forward Jonathan Huberdeau have agreed to an $84 million, eight-year contract extension.

(AP Photo/Bill Kostroun, File) (Bill Kostroun)SUNRISE, Fla. — (AP) — The easiest thing for the Florida Panthers this summer would have been to maintain the status quo, especially after posting the NHL’s best record. “The changes we’ve made were made with the team and organization’s best interest at heart,” Panthers general manager Bill Zito said. “It was a big shock for me,” Huberdeau said Monday when he and Weegar were introduced by the Flames. Zito said the Panthers clearly understood that they had to give something — a lot, in this case — to get something. With Calgary, Tkachuk embraced an all-Alberta rivalry with Edmonton.

The Florida Panthers could have maintained the status quo this summer after posting the NHL’s best record.

(AP Photo/Bill Kostroun, File) (Bill Kostroun)SUNRISE, Fla. — (AP) — Matthew Tkachuk and Jonathan Huberdeau both had the best years of their career this past season. Tkachuk was traded to the Florida Panthers on Friday night, with Huberdeau part of the haul that is going to the Calgary Flames for the power forward. The Panthers, a team that won the President’s Trophy this past season for having the NHL’s best regular-season record, apparently wanted him more than most. “We would like to thank Jonathan and MacKenzie for their immense contributions to the Florida Panthers, both on and off the ice, during their tenures in South Florida,” Zito said. Tkachuk had career bests of 42 goals, 62 assists and 104 points this past season for Calgary.

The Panthers, a team that won the President’s Trophy this past season for having the NHL’s best regular-season record, apparently wanted him more than most. Tkachuk had career bests of 42 goals, 62 assists and 104 points this past season for Calgary. The trade means Calgary is without its two leading scorers from this past season. Johnny Gaudreau, who led the Flames with 115 points, signed a seven-year deal with Columbus as a free agent last week. Tkachuk is 24, Huberdeau is 29, and that surely was something that went into Florida’s thinking when deciding about making an eight-year commitment.

Matthew Tkachuk is being traded to the Florida Panthers, part of a blockbuster that sends Jonathan Huberdeau to the Calgary Flames in a swap of players who are each coming off the best season of their respective careers,.

Oilers Flames Hockey Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk, right, celebrates his goal against the Edmonton Oilers with forward Johnny Gaudreau during the third period of Game 1 of an NHL hockey second-round playoff series Wednesday, May 18, 2022, in Calgary, Alberta. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP) (Jeff McIntosh)CALGARY, Alberta — (AP) — Matthew Tkachuk had his first career playoff hat trick and the Calgary Flames beat the Edmonton Oilers 9-6 Wednesday night in Game 1 of their second-round series. Game 2 is Friday at the Saddledome before the series heads to Edmonton for Sunday’s Game 3 and Tuesday’s Game 4. The Flames scored twice in a 25-second span in the first minute and led 3-0 by 6:05 when Smith was replaced by Koskinen. ... Game 1 was the highest scoring playoff game involving Calgary and Edmonton, surpassing the previous high of 12 goals scored in Game 3 of the 1983 Smythe Division final.

Stars Flames Hockey Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk, right, celebrates his goal with teammates during second period NHL playoff hockey action against the Dallas Stars in Calgary, Alberta, Sunday, May 15, 2022. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP) (Jeff McIntosh)CALGARY, Alberta — (AP) — Johnny Gaudreau scored 15:09 into overtime to lift Calgary past the Dallas Stars 3-2 in Game 7 on Sunday night, giving the Flames just their second playoff series win in the last 17 years. The Flames will face the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference’s semifinal in the first postseason Battle of Alberta since 1991. Tyler Toffoli and Matthew Tkachuk scored their first goals of the series for the Flames. Jamie Benn and Vladislav Namestnikov scored for the Stars.

Miro Heiskanen scored the go-ahead goal late in the second period and the Dallas Stars beat Calgary 4-2 to force a Game 7 in their first-round Western Conference series.

Rasmus Andersson scored Calgary’s first power-play goal since early in the playoff opener, Jacob Markstrom had 34 saves and the Flames beat the Dallas Stars 4-1 in Game 4 to even their first-round series.

The pressure is squarely on the Florida Panthers, New York Rangers and Calgary Flames down two games to one in their respective first-round series.

Joe Pavelski scored twice and got the game-winner on the first power-play goal in the series for Dallas as the Stars beat the Calgary Flames 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series.

The Buffalo Sabres have removed the interim tag from Don Granato and named him the team's full-time coach.