
For a long time, the Ottawa Senators were struggling to find their core to build around, but over the past few seasons, that has clearly become a problem of the past.
Now, the team have reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs in back-to-back seasons, and with captain Brady Tkachuk leading the way alongside Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson and Jake Sanderson, this is a team that's expected to compete for a long time to come. That is, if Tkachuk remains with the Senators, as all of the chatter around No. 7 has speculated he could be on the way out if Ottawa get the right offers for him.
After a round-one sweep at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes, those talks only intensified, with some around the NHL believing he could even be traded this summer. That has all now been shot down by TSN's Darren Dreger on a recent episode of OverDrive, as he has revealed that the Senators want nothing more than to build a true contender for a long time around their captain.
This past season, Tkachuk was once again fantastic in Ottawa, tallying 22 goals and 59 points in 60 games played (representing the second best point-per-game mark of his career), but the regular season didn't come without controversy. Tkachuk came under fire for comments his father, NHL legend Keith Tkachuk, made on his podcast where he seemingly called out Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark.
Whether or not that played any role in the speculation surrounding Tkachuk is hard to verify, but this, combined with his representing the United States and the belief that he wanted to play in his home country have led to the chatter.
As of now though, both Tkachuk and the Senators have shot down any rumors of a potential divorce, and unless something changes, a trade this off-season is highly unlikely.
More must-reads:
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!