Brady Tkachuk addresses trade rumors (again) after Senators playoff exit
Now that the Ottawa Senators’ season is over, it’s time to shake off the drama that has plagued them for most of the year…
Just kidding, it’s still going on.
On Wednesday, the team had a disbanding day after being swept by the truly impressive Carolina Hurricanes, and one of the biggest moments came from captain Brady Tkachuk.
Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk once again questions his future with the team (André Ringuette/NHLI)
It had been an interesting year for the American-born captain, who had to deal with multiple distractions off the ice — many of which, like his father’s comments about players’ durability and Team USA’s trip to the White House, were wildly exaggerated — which led to a deluge of trade rumors.
They stepped up after Ottawa was thoroughly beaten by the Canes and were never able to hold the lead at any point in the series.
“So, of course, everybody’s meeting and I wasn’t here the other day and so I didn’t get a chance to talk to Steve (Staios, Senators GM),” Tkachuk said. “But I mean, I feel like I’ve answered this a hundred times, I’ve never shown any of this, I’ve never said any of this, I’ve never said any of this.
“And honestly, it’s getting frustrating,” he continued. “It becomes distracting, and because I’m totally committed to this team, to this city, and it just becomes distracting, frustrating to deal with.”
TREVOR BAUER SAYS NO MLB TEAM WILL SIGN HIM DESPITE THEY OFFERING A NO-HIT AND A FREE PLAY
Jordan Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes and Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators compete during the first period of Game One in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center on April 18, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Josh Lavallee/NHLI/Getty Images)
I find all this fascinating.
First of all, no, it wasn’t a great series for the Senators, but have you watched the Hurricanes? Their goaltending may be a bit of a question mark, but Rod Brind’Amour plays these players so well that Ottawa never stood a chance.
As disappointing as it is, if you’re Brady Tkachuk, I think there’s every reason to think the team is heading in the right direction.
But the media can’t help but feed these rumors and other distractions to him over and over again, even as he expresses his commitment to the team.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. GET THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
Brady Tkachuk of the United States celebrates winning a gold medal in the men’s gold medal match against Canada at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan, Italy, on February 22, 2026. (Vitalii Kliuiev/Getty Images)
He touched on this in his answer. It’s getting annoying.
In fact, not only did Tkachuk deny these rumors, but Staios also called the trade rumors “ridiculous” just days after the Senators were eliminated. Great Leader.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION
So will all this questioning finally lead Tkachuk to say, “That’s it, get me out of here”?
We will keep this in mind because if this happens there will be no shortage of teams willing to reach a deal.
