Senator Brady Tkachuk: ‘Fully Committed’ Despite Trade Talks

Brady Tkachuk Said the constant trade rumors involving him have become a “distraction”. Ottawa Senators captain

“I feel like I’ve answered it hundreds of times. Quite frankly, it’s just getting frustrating. It’s becoming a distraction. I’m fully committed to this team, to this city. It’s getting frustrating to deal with,” Tkachuk said at his postseason news conference.

Beat Ottawa in first round Carolina Hurricanes. Tkachuk had 59 points in 60 games with 22 goals during the regular season. But he went four games against Carolina without a point, skating to a minus-4. Immediately after the Senators cut, social media was flooded with speculation about Tkachuk’s future from both fans and insiders.

Tkachuk played all eight NHL seasons in Ottawa, placing him fourth overall in 2018. He has two more years remaining on a seven-year contract that includes an $8,205,714 salary cap hit and a full no-movement clause. Tkachuk is eligible to sign a contract extension in the summer of 2027.

Tkachuk says that despite deciding to get rid of X, other sites’ “algorithms” continue to give him speculation about his future even though he tries to avoid it.

“I don’t understand why it’s a consistent thing. It’s happened many times personally, and it’s frustrating to answer something that’s never been said from my mouth or the mouth of the team,” he said.

Tkachuk, 26, said he plans to have a postseason meeting with GM Steve Stios to discuss what the team needs to improve and what Tkachuk can do better.

“I don’t think there’s anyone more disappointed with how everything turned out than me,” Tkachuk said. “At the end of the day, I just didn’t play well enough. I tried my best to get my game going, but nothing was going in. Nothing was going my way.”

Tkachuk praised his team for how they played through adversity throughout the season. Ottawa had the third-best points percentage (.720) in the NHL after the Olympic break. Tkachuk helped Team USA win gold in Milan during that break.

“Everything was kind of dampened by the way the playoffs went, but we dealt as a group and overcame that adversity,” he said.

Tkachuk, who this week welcomed a newborn daughter named Layla with his wife Emma, ​​ended his availability with a message to Senators fans.

“I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting our team, me, my family, all year long. I really hope we can still play for you guys,” he said. “You bring so much energy, so much joy to our team that it makes it sting (more).”