The Ottawa Senators finally made the playoffs for the first time since 2017 last season. They lost in six games to the Toronto Maple Leafs, but it was a step forward for the organization. Through it all, the Senators still have to deal with Brady Tkachuk trade rumors. After rumors swirled about the Rangers' interest last season, Keith Tkachuk, Brady's dad, was asked about the chance his son gets dealt.
I wouldn't believe everything you hear. I think after what happened with Matthew in Calgary, everyone just assumes that's going to happen with Brady [in Ottawa],” Keith Tkachuk told ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. “But Brady loves it there. Brady has really cemented himself in the community. They're a team on the rise. They got a great bunch of young players. They're core players. The fans and the city itself treat him so well. He wants to be a big part of that moving forward. So I don't think he's going anywhere.”
After a great season with the Calgary Flames, Matthew Tkachuk asked for a trade, and it was granted. He needed a new contract and was one year away from unrestricted free agency. The Flames traded him to the Panthers, where he has won two Stanley Cups. But Brady has signed a long-term deal with the Senators, indicating his intentions to stay.
If the Senators had not made the playoffs last year, the noise around a Brady Tkachuk trade would have gotten much louder. But the young core in the Nation's Capital seems to be gelling more by the year. If they can make a deep run this year, Tkachuk's deal will look like one of the best in the league. The Senators will be able to add multiple pieces in free agency and finally be a Stanley Cup competitor again.
