Tkachuk 'very open' to signing long-term extension with Flames

Matthew Tkachuk says he's willing to commit to the Calgary Flames for the foreseeable future this offseason.

The star forward, who enters the offseason as a restricted free agent, was asked about his desire to sign long term as the Flames cleared out their lockers on Saturday following their second-round elimination at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers earlier this week.

"I would be very open. I've loved it here. I've grown up here. I came here and didn't really know anything about Calgary. Just kind of love the people here ... how great they've made my life here," Tkachuk said, per Sportsnet's Eric Francis.

Tkachuk is coming off a three-year bridge contract worth $7 million per season. Negotiations for his previous deal lingered into training camp in 2019.

The 24-year-old power forward had a career year in 2021-22, registering 42 goals and 104 points in 82 games. Tkachuk then posted 10 points in 12 playoff contests.

Calgary has over $26 million in available money this summer, according to CapFriendly, but it currently only has 12 players on its roster. Leading scorer Johnny Gaudreau is set to hit the open market as well, and new deals for both him and Tkachuk would likely eat a significant portion of the Flames' financial flexibility.