Fans of the Calgary Flames are going through trying times. After losing one star forward in Johnny Gaudreau to free agency, another appears to be on his way out in Matthew Tkachuk.

SportsNet's Eric Francis reported on Tuesday that the Flames and Tkachuk are heading for an inevitable divorce. Francis later said that he expects a trade to be completed “within the week.” Hockey fans are now wondering where the star could land in a trade.

Tkachuk enjoyed his best season by far in 2021-22, scoring 42 goals and 64 assists and making the All-Star Second Team. Tkachuk, Gaudreau and Elias Lindholm combined to form one of the best lines in hockey as Calgary won the Pacific Division.

Any team looking to acquire Matthew Tkachuk would need to put together an impressive trade package. The Flames won't be so willing to trade their 24-year-old star, and his RFA status further complicates a deal. Not many teams would be able to pry him out of Calgary, but these teams may have a chance.

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Matthew Tkachuk 2022 NHL offseason trade destinations

New Jersey Devils

New Jersey reportedly made a run at Matthew Tkachuk during the NHL draft. Reports claim that the Devils even offered the second overall pick for Tkachuk, but the Flames quickly shot it down.

Now that trade talks are heating up again, New Jersey could be in the running. The Devils have a wealth of picks and prospects could offer the Flames, and have over $9.5 million in cap space to sign him to a new contract. New Jersey had an average age of 25.8 last season, so Tkachuk also fits their timeline perfectly.

The Devils signing winger Ondrej Palat in free agency could indicate they decided to go in another direction. However, they still have the assets to make a deal happen. A player like Tkachuk would go a long way in helping the Devils compete in a stacked Metropolitan Division.

New York Rangers

The Rangers seem to be in on every big-name player on the trade market. There's a good reason for that though, as New York has an embarrassment of riches to trade.

The one snag with a Matthew Tkachuk trade to New York is the salary cap. The Rangers have several players with high cap hits on long-term deals. Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Vincent Trocheck, Adam Fox and Jacob Trouba all make more than $5.5 million for at least four more seasons.

One of those players would likely need to go the other way in a Tkachuk deal. New York may also need to give up a promising young player such as Filip Chytil or K'Andre Miller to make Calgary bite.

If the Rangers decide that adding Tkachuk is worth it, then their already strong forward group becomes one of the league's best. Tkachuk combines skill and grit in a way that few players do. With that forward corps and Igor Shesterkin still in net, the Rangers would contend for years to come.

St. Louis Blues 

St. Louis could be Matthew Tkachuk's preferred destination based on sentimental value alone. Tkachuk not only played junior hockey in the city, but his father Keith also played for the Blues for nine seasons.

However, the salary cap gets in the way here once again. The Blues currently have less than $1 million in cap space, and key players such as Ryan O'Reilly and Ivan Barbashev need new deals after the upcoming season.

To make a Tkachuk deal work, St. Louis needs to send a significant amount of money back to Calgary. The Blues could include someone like Vladimir Tarasenko or Torrey Krug in a deal, but they wouldn't be enough to entice the Flames. St. Louis may need to include breakout star Jordan Kyrou, as well as picks and prospects, in the deal.

While Tkachuk would cost a haul, he could bring the Blues back to being Stanley Cup contenders. His personal ties to the team only help make St. Louis the most intriguing trade destination.