Weekly Takes - Monday, July 25 Edition

Weekly Takes - Monday, July 25 Edition

1. Nine times out of ten, if not more, the team that receives the best player in a trade wins the trade.

But it is hard to say that about the Panthers-Flames trade that sent Matthew Tkachuk to Florida for Jonathan Huberdeau, Mackenzie Weegar, and two other assets.

Tkachuk is the best player in the trade, the youngest notable player in the trade, and instantly signed an absurd team-friendly contract, so I do not dislike this deal long-term for the Panthers, but they are in win-now mode and this trade sets them back from doing so, as Tkachuk’s impact on the 2022-2023 Panthers will not outweigh the impact Huberdeau and Weegar would have had combined for.

I expect the Panthers to take a step back, given they have lost Huberdeau, Weegar, Claude Giroux, Mason Marchment, and Ben Chiarot all in one offseason, all while Tkachuk being the only notable piece to come in.

Never mind the fact that Anthony Duclair will be out a while as he recovers from his injury.

As for the Flames, it is the type of trade that will keep Brad Treliving in the sport for as long as he wants.

He had no leverage, given Tkachuk was one year away from free agency and had a very short list of teams he would sign with, yet, despite that, managed to trade for a top-pairing defenceman and one of the more prolific point producers in the sport.

They may be pending free agents themselves, but Treliving has the cap space to re-sign both. And if one or neither wants to re-sign, he can get a ransom for either one at the deadline.

2. It is hard to put into words how gross the actions of Hockey Canada were in their response to the sexual assault allegations in 2018.

Anyone inside the organization who knew about what happened has to be fired. Full stop.

This is a great example of why the “just hire the most qualified person” talking point is a fantasy land. A business this large needs to have a diverse staff in place with different perspectives. Filling your company with a bunch of “yes men” because they excel at crunching numbers is not how to run a successful business.

3. After being given their last rites by many prior to the All-Star break, the Blue Jays are in third place in the American League and have won six in a row.

This team has holes that absolutely need to be addressed prior to the deadline, but baseball is a 162-game season for a reason.

4. The only football coaching performance that was worse than Ryan Dinwiddie’s performance in the East Finals in November was Dinwiddie’s coaching performance on Sunday against the Roughriders.

The Argos offence continues to have no offensive creativity, while Dinwiddie has no situational awareness. A change has to be made in the head coaching position for the Argos to take the next step.

5. Playoffs are quite likely a pipe dream, given the hole they have dug themselves, but Toronto FC is a Canadian Championship win on Tuesday from this being a successful season.

I said prior to the season and at the start of the summer transfer window that the goal has to be to compete for MLS Cup in 2023.

They are now a CB and starting goalkeeper from doing so, with a designated player spot still available.

What a job by Bill Manning and Bob Bradley. TFC is back.