Insider shuts down blockbuster Brady Tkachuk–Jason Robertson trade rumor

It’s silly season around the NHL, and rumors are flying all over the place in the lead-up to Friday’s trade deadline. That’s been on full display in recent days, especially after the guys from Spittin’ Chiclets threw out the blockbuster idea of a one-for-one swap of Brady Tkachuk and Jason Robertson.

While it was hard to believe such a massive and unexpected deal would happen before the deadline, Keith Yandle and Paul Bissonnette — who discussed the proposition — are well-connected around the league, so the rumor certainly generated a lot of buzz. However, on Wednesday, insider Bruce Garrioch poured cold water on the speculation, insisting that a league-altering trade between Ottawa and Dallas won’t be happening.

Garrioch wrote:

“Brady Tkachuk told reporters last week that the thought of leaving the Ottawa Senators has ‘never crossed’ his mind, but that hasn’t stopped speculation from swirling around the club’s captain. He isn’t going anywhere, and this is another case of what Senators owner Michael Andlauer once referred to as ‘soft tampering’ when it was reported last spring that the New York Rangers were ready to acquire Tkachuk. We don’t need to reach out to the Senators because we know this isn’t happening. Tkachuk’s name surfaced in connection with the Rangers last year around the same time,”

The 26-year-old Tkachuk is in year five of the seven-year, $57,564,958 extension signed with the Senators back in 2021, while Robertson, 26, is a pending RFA in the fourth and final year of the four-year, $31 million deal he signed to extend with the Stars in 2022.

Both players are having productive seasons, with Tkachuk clipping at a point-per-game rate with 40 points (15 goals, 25 assists) in 40 games, and Robertson even better, having already racked up 72 points (34 goals, 38 assists) through 61 games played.

Brady Tkachuk for Jason Robertson Talk

It’s not surprising to hear this get shut down, though all the recent drama around Tkachuk — stemming from winning Olympic gold for Team USA and the events that followed — has made questions about his future in Ottawa feel more real than ever.