The Calgary Flames acquired defenseman MacKenzie Weegar in July as part of the Matthew Tkachuk trade. On Friday, the Flames made sure their new defenseman sticks around.

The Flames and Weegar agreed to an eight-year extension, the team confirmed. The deal carries an annual average value of $6.25 million. He could have become an unrestricted free agent after the season.

For Weegar, the deal represents the culmination of a long journey. The Flames defenseman has put in a ton of work to get here, and it was all he could think about as he put pen to paper.

“It means everything,” Weegar said Friday. “When I signed the deal, I just kept thinking of how long of a road it's been for me since Junior B to the [ECHL] and now to here. All my friends and family and all the support I think, it's not just me that signed the deal. It's everybody around me.

“The winning culture. … Lots of guys who have won here, and that's important. We need that down the stretch. They want to win now. I want to win now. I think everybody in this room wants to win here. The city wants to win. Passionate fanbase,” the Flames defenseman continued.

This deal isn't entirely surprising. The Flames defenseman recently commented on the state of Calgary's current setup, and had nothing but positive things to say.

Furthermore, the Flames recently signed the other star acquired from the Florida Panthers in the Tkachuk trade. Forward Jonathan Huberdeau signed an eight-year extension of his own with the Flames. He also could have hit the open market at the end of the season.