Calgary Flames: Matthew Tkachuk continues to show how good he is

Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk is quickly evolving into one of the best forwards in the NHL with his unique skillset.

The creativity we have seen around the National Hockey League this season has been truly beautiful to watch. One player, in particular, night in and night out, has become a spectacle on the ice, and that is Calgary Flames winger Matthew Tkachuk.

Scoring goals at the highest level of hockey is a feat that many few get to accomplish, but what this player is doing in NHL games is just jaw-dropping.

With 19 goals and 26 assists, Tkachuk is having another impressive season in Calgary. Out of those 26 goals, at least two of these are up for goal of the year.

And let’s just say, he has dominated the between-the-leg move.

Not only did he go between the legs Monday night, but he released it with extraordinary velocity, as he rang it off the corner where the post meets the crossbar and into the back of the net.

But this is not the first time he has done this.

Earlier in the year, we saw Tkachuk score one of the best goals in NHL history, as he was able to go between the legs in overtime for the win against the Nashville Predators back on Halloween.

That was with 1.6 seconds remaining in overtime.

This goal is just insane, as he has the wherewithal to pick the puck up off a blocked shot, wait a second to change his stick angle, before ultimately tricking the Nashville Predator’s netminder in the process for the win`.

But we had to see these skilled plays coming, as this season is not the first time he has done something worthwhile with his stick.

Flashback to last February against the New York Islanders, Tkachuk showed off to the NHL his flashy hands, as he deflected a few pucks for two goals in the game. He was just foreshadowing what was to come.

Tkachuk is not the only player that has taken the league by storm with creative moves. Andrei Svechnikov of the Carolina Hurricanes stole the show earlier in the year as he brought  “The Michigan” to the NHL, completing this feat not once, but twice.

Both moves are proving how the NHL is evolving and how players are doing the unthinkable to beat goaltenders.

Tkachuk brings more than just his creativity each night, as his even with his above-average skills, he continues to agitate his opponents. He reminds me of a larger Brad Marchand, who is considered the biggest agitator in the game.

Back in the day, and even in the early 2000s, each player had a role. You were a hitter, a scorer, an assist man, or a pest. Now more players are adding all these tools to their repertoire.

The game is getting harder for a defenseman with this brilliance on display, as it is extremely harder to anticipate what a player like Tkachuk will do when the puck is on his stick. The question is, what move are we going to see next?