The Ottawa Senators held their end-of-season availability two days after the club was swept out of the Eastern Conference first round by the Carolina Hurricanes.
Following the quick elimination, speculation that Brady Tkachuk could be moved in the off-season has risen after the Sens’ captain failed to record a point over the four-game series.
Speaking at Monday’s availability, general manager Steve Staios addressed that speculation and was very clear that the team is committed to their captain for next season and beyond.
“It’s nonsense is what it is,” Staios said. “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.
“I mean, this comes up very often. There’s nothing that we have talked about or thought about where that conversation should happen.”
The 26-year-old winger was not available to the media as he went home to be with his wife, Emma, for the birth of their second child.
Tkachuk had 22 goals and 59 points in 60 games this season, missing nearly two months after undergoing thumb surgery in mid October.
“I think he dealt with a lot,” Staios said. “He dealt with an injury to start the season, goes off to the Olympics, wins a gold medal. In a condensed schedule, regular-season schedule -- there was a lot this year. And there’s a lot on him, and he continued to play.”
The Scottsdale, Ariz., native has two seasons remaining on a seven-year, $57.56 million deal he signed with the Senators in 2021 that carries a cap hit of $8.2 million.
Tkachuk’s teammates echoed the same sentiments Staios did, praising Tkachuk for his leadership on and off the ice.
“He became a captain very young, and I think that’s hard for anyone, becoming captain in a Canadian market,” Sens forward Tim Stutzle said. “And I feel like he puts a lot of pressure on himself, like we all do. And I feel like I can relate with him in a lot of ways, that way, and that he wants to win too. He cares.”
“I think when you’re captain of a team, there’s always going to be a spotlight on you, especially in a Canadian market. Chucky is an unbelievable player and we’re lucky to have him,” said forward Drake Batherson.
Tkachuk was originally drafted fourth overall by Ottawa in the 2018 NHL Draft and has recorded 213 goals and 463 points in 572 games. He has led the team to the postseason two years in a row, both first round exits, where he has recorded four goals and seven points in 10 games.
