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Greg Wishynski
multiple authors
brady tkachuk He said the constant trade rumors surrounding him have become a “distraction” for him ottawa senators Captain.
“I think I’ve answered this hundreds of times. Honestly, it’s becoming frustrating. It’s becoming a distraction. I’m fully committed to this team, this city. It’s becoming frustrating to deal with this,” Tkachuk said in his postseason press conference.
Ottawa was eliminated in the first round carolina storm. Tkachuk had 59 points in 60 games in the regular season, including 22 goals. But he did not score any points in four games against Carolina and his score became minus-4. Immediately following the Senators’ ejection, social media was flooded with speculation about Tkachuk’s future from both fans and insiders.
Tkachuk has played all eight NHL seasons in Ottawa, which drafted him fourth overall in 2018. He has two more years left on a seven-year contract, which carries an $8,205,714 salary cap hit and a full no-movement clause. Tkachuk is eligible to sign a contract extension in the summer of 2027.
Tkachuk said that despite deciding to get rid of X, “algorithms” on other sites make him speculate about his future, even though he tries to avoid it.
He said, “I don’t understand why this is a frequent thing. It’s happened several times personally, and it’s frustrating to respond to something that has never been said from my mouth or the team’s mouth.”
Tkachuk, 26, said he plans to have a meeting with GM Steve Staos after the season to discuss what the team needs to improve on as well as what Tkachuk can do better.
“I don’t think anyone will be more disappointed than me with the way everything turned out,” Tkachuk said. “At the end of the day, I couldn’t play well. I tried everything I could to advance my game, but nothing was happening. Nothing was going my way.”
Tkachuk praised his team for the way they played in adverse conditions throughout the season. Ottawa had the third-best points percentage (.720) in the NHL after the Olympic break. During that break, Tkachuk helped Team USA win gold in Milan.
“Everything was affected a lot by the way the playoffs went, but there was a lot that we dealt with as a group and handled that adversity,” he said.
Tkachuk, who welcomed a newborn daughter named Lyla with his wife Emma this week, ended his availability with a message to Senators fans.
He said, “I just want to say that I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the support you guys have shown our team, me, my family throughout the year. I really wish we could still play for you guys.” “You guys bring so much energy, so much joy to our team that it stings [more]”
