Lest the New York Rangers or any other NHL team hoped to trade for Brady Tkachuk this offseason, the Ottawa Senators captain put a damper on all rumors, hoping to finally shut down speculation about his future.
“I feel like I’ve answered this hundreds of times,” Tkachuk said Wednesday. “I feel like I’ve never shown, never said, none of those things have ever come out of my mouth, and quite honestly it’s just getting frustrating. It’s becoming a distraction.
“I have been fully committed to this team, to this city and (the rumors), it’s just become a distraction. Frustrating to deal with.”
To that end, Senators beat reporter Murray Pam from Hockey Hot Stove explained on the Rink Rap podcast that Tkachuk went the extra mile to show how much the organization, its fan base, and the city of Ottawa means to him simply by showing up for a press conference Wednesday.
Just days prior, he missed breakup day to be with his wife, Emma, when she gave birth to their second child back home in New Jersey. Pam and other reporters expected a Zoom call with Tkachuk at some point, only to find out Wednesday morning that he flew back to Ottawa and wanted to meet with the media in person.
That speaks volumes about his commitment to the Senators, which has been questioned often, especially after they were swept in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs this past week by the Carolina Hurricanes.
“At the end of the presser, he goes, ‘Well, you didn’t ask about the fans.’ And he actually made a statement to the fans thanking them for their support and how he loves the Ottawa community, and how they support him and his family,” Pam told Forever Blueshirts. “So, that was from his heart, and that’s the way Brady is. He’s a family-oriented person and he just wanted to get that out there to the fans.”
Tkachuk shot down the trade rumors after Ottawa general manager Steve Staios effectively did the same thing when meeting with the media Monday.
“It’s nonsense is what it is,” Staios told reporters. “I don’t read it. I don’t bother with it. We know what we have internally. We have great communication with our players, so we really don’t focus on it.”
Of course, things could change, though not likely this summer. Tkachuk has two years remaining on a contract that pays him $8.2 million annually. So, he can be an unrestricted free agent in 2028, that is if he doesn’t agree to an extension with Ottawa before then.
Extension talk is premature, but will come into play a year from now when the CBA allows a pending UFA to sign one with one year remaining on his current deal.
“I just think the extension talk is just a year away, so that’s something you physically cannot do any time soon,” Tkachuk explained. “For me it’s just … I would talk to Steve when we have that conversation of where he views our team, what he thinks we need to improve on and what I need to improve on myself, not just as a player but as a captain. Obviously, I’m excited to hear Steve’s thoughts and where he thinks we can improve.”
You can bet that the Rangers will continue to monitor what’s up with Tkachuk. Newsday beat reporter Colin Stephenson contended on a recent Rink Rap podcast that Rangers GM Chris Drury is “infatuated” with the stud power forward, who’s scored 20 or more goals in seven of eight NHL seasons, including three times topping 30, and is a brute force who plays with a distinct edge to his game.
Rightly or wrongly, Senators owner Michael Andlauer accused the Rangers of leaking Tkachuk trade rumors to the press during the 2024-25 season, “soft tampering” he called it. Nothing came of the allegations, outside of ill will on each side. And Tkachuk was annoyed at the time that unfounded rumors forced him to answer questions about his future.
That continued, off and on, though this season, especially after Tkachuk helped the United States win the gold medal at the Milan-Cortina Olympics. Tkachuk and Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews received blowback for being U.S.-born captains in Canadian markets, fueling rumors that each could be on the move.
“I mean, honestly, I don’t really, honestly I don’t get why,” Tkachuk said Wednesday. “It’s a consistent thing (the rumors), and it’s happened so many times, personally, and it’s frustrating to have to answer to something that has never been spoken out of my mouth. Has never been spoken from the team’s mouth but I just feel like I have to consistently answer to it, and it’s just frustrating.”
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