A playoffs full of Brady Tkachuk problems opens door for Senators trade

A playoffs full of Brady Tkachuk problems opens door for Senators trade originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Brady Tkachuk didn't waste any time.

The Ottawa Senators star decided he'd fit Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal immediately in Game 1 of their opening round playoff series.

That's about the most notable thing Tkachuk did in the series as the Senators were swept.

Tkachuk didn't have a single point.

Ottawa's five goals all happened when Tkachuk was on the bench, not in the game.

And so after a season that included occasional musings about whether Tkachuk would be traded, it seems very much in play now.

Daily Faceoff's Matt Larkin made the case in a new article on Monday that it's time to consider such a move for Ottawa.

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Tkachuk has two seasons left on his contract, which might make this the deal time for Ottawa to make a deal and maximize value.

"Now feels like the time to take that swing given his value remains sky-high," Larkin writes. "He’s smack in his prime at 26. In a rising-cap world, his $8.205-million AAV is a huge bargain for the next two seasons. He’s shown up more often than not in high-stakes situations; he dominated at the 4 Nations, he was excellent in the 2025 playoffs against the , and he had three goals in six games at the Olympics. His many suitors would feel the good outweighs the bad and perhaps view his poor showing against Carolina as that of a player wanting out, so they’ll pay up."