Believe it or not, the Tkachuk trade is the first of its kind in NHL history

After informing the Calgary Flames he wouldn't commit to signing long- term, Matthew Tkachuk was dealt within just a couple of days to the Florida Panthers for Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, a prospect and a first round pick. The Flames, Panthers, Tkachuk and his agent worked together to negotiate his new 8-year $76M deal before the trade was officially reported.

Flames GM Brad Treliving, when speaking to the media said that the league office confirmed it was the first ever sign and trade completed in the NHL. How crazy is that? For the continuous discussions every off-season that we hear about sign-and-trades, it's hard to believe that the Tkachuk deal is the first of its kind in a league with so much history. You have to wonder if this trade will open the doors for many more sign-and-trades in the future - as long as the player and team are willing to work together.

Could this also be the first of multiple sign-and-trades the Flames put together this season? Given that Huberdeau and Weegar are both UFAs at the end of the season, the Flames could work out sign and trades for both players around next year's draft if either chooses they don't want to re-sign in Calgary. Treliving saw how well it worked out for him once, so I'd imagine he's likely to use it as an option again in the future.