- Brady Tkachuk says trade speculation has “become a distraction” after the Senators’ first-round sweep
- The 26-year-old captain has spent his entire eight-year career in Ottawa and reiterated he is fully committed
- Read below for what Tkachuk said and why GM Steve Staios called the rumors “nonsense”
Brady Tkachuk has heard enough.
The Senators captain met with reporters Wednesday for his end-of-season availability and made it clear he is tired of the trade chatter that has followed him all year. Ottawa was just swept by the Hurricanes in the first round, and the rumor mill cranked right back up.
Here’s what Tkachuk had to say:
“I feel like I’ve answered this hundreds of times,” Tkachuk said. “Quite honestly, it’s just getting frustrating. It’s becoming a distraction. I have been fully committed to this team, to this city. It’s just becoming frustrating to deal with.”
Tkachuk added that he doesn’t understand why the speculation keeps coming back, telling reporters none of it has ever come out of his mouth or the team’s, per TSN.
The 26-year-old put up 59 points in 60 regular-season games but went pointless in the four-game series against Carolina. He plans to sit down with general manager Steve Staios this offseason to talk through what went wrong and how the team gets better.
Staios, for his part, has shut the door on any trade talk. He told reporters earlier this week that the rumors are “nonsense” and that Ottawa has no interest in moving its captain.
Tkachuk skipped the team’s exit interviews on Monday, which only poured gas on the fire. The reason was personal. He and his wife Emma welcomed their second child, daughter Lyla, 14 hours after Game 4.
Tkachuk has played all eight of his NHL seasons in Ottawa since being taken fourth overall in 2018. The Senators have made the postseason twice in that stretch and have yet to win a playoff round.
He closed the presser with a message to the fan base, thanking them for the support all season and saying it stung not to still be playing for them.
Until Tkachuk or the team says otherwise, he’s not going anywhere.
