Senators’ Brady Tkachuk frustrated by trade rumors, says it’s a ‘distraction’

Brady Tkachuk addressed growing trade speculation on Wednesday, calling the noise around his future a distraction after a difficult playoff exit for the Ottawa Senators. The captain spoke candidly to reporters, pushing back on claims that he could be on the move this NHL offseason.

The 25-year-old said he remains committed to the organization and the city.

“Well, I mean, of course, I wasn’t here for, you know, everybody’s meetings and the other day, and so I haven’t had the chance to talk to Steve,” Tkachuk said about talking to Senators’ GM Steve Staios. “But I mean, I feel like I’ve answered this hundreds of times, that none of that I feel like I’ve never shown, I’ve never said, none of those things ever came out of my mouth.”

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The speculation has intensified after Ottawa’s first-round sweep at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes. The Senators struggled throughout the series and failed to hold a lead in four games. Their offense managed just five goals, while defensive lapses proved costly.

Tkachuk also expressed frustration at repeatedly answering the same questions about his future.

“And quite honestly, it’s just getting frustrating,” Tkachuk said. “It’s becoming a distraction and, ’cause I’ve, I have been fully committed to this team, to the city, and it’s just becoming a distraction, frustrating to deal with.”

Senators’ GM spoke about Brady Tkachuk trade rumors

Following the Game 4 loss, general manager Steve Staios dismissed trade talk involving Tkachuk. He labeled the rumors as “nonsense” and confirmed that no internal discussions about moving the captain have taken place.

“It’s nonsense is what it is,” Staios said about Tkachuk rumors. “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.”

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