The Calgary Flames have little to no leverage.

It's clear that Matthew Tkachuk is going to be leaving town within the next few days, thanks to his lack of desire to re-sign long-term with the club that drafted him. This forces Flames GM Brad Treliving into a tough position, just over a week after the team lost Johnny Gaudreau in free agency for nothing.

The problem with this trade is that the old adage (at least in hockey but often in other sports, too) is that when you are the team giving up the best player in a trade, you lose it. Look at any of the bandied-about "trade proposals" posted online in the past few days; even the best or more hopeful of them, ones that return a Jordan Kyrou or a Mathew Barzal plus picks and prospects, leave you feeling a little like the last one to dinner.

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