Burnside & Seravalli: Brady Tkachuk Signing Pivotal Moment For Senators
And then there were none.
The Ottawa Senators inked winger Brady Tkachuk – the NHL’s last remaining un-signed restricted free agent – to a massive seven-year, $57.5 million deal on Thursday just in time for the franchise’s home opener. Tkachuk’s new contract carries a salary cap hit of $8.291 million through 2028, aligning his cost certainty with Ottawa’s other franchise cornerstone on defense in Thomas Chabot.
Here are Daily Faceoff‘s Scott Burnside and Frank Seravalli on the magnitude of Thursday’s moment:
Scott Burnside
Even though Brady Tkachuk won’t be in the Ottawa Senators’ opening night lineup, his presence will be felt in a way that is almost incalculable.
By inking a seven-year deal, the Ottawa Senators and their most important player have managed to – at least for a moment – rewrite the narrative that this is Team Dysfunction.
Imagine what fans heading to the Canadian Tire Center or local and national media or anyone remotely connected to the beleaguered franchise would have been talking about prior to their season-opening showdown with provincial rivals Toronto had the stalemate with Tkachuk continued?
The power play? Nope.
The prospects for rookie Shane Pinto? Nope.
The dialogue would have been all about Tkachuk. When will he sign? Will he sign? What is wrong with the Senators?
Instead, the team gets a star player locked up for seven years and now the focus returns squarely to the ice and what kinds of steps forward the youthful Senators might be able to make in the crowded Atlantic Division.
One longtime NHL executive told Daily Faceoff on Thursday that “this signing is paramount to reestablishing the connection between the franchise and the fans/community.”
“The team stepped up for their younger, future stars in Chabot and now Tkachuk. What’s more, Tkachuk could well be their future captain and leader so it is even more critical and has a deeper impact,” he said. “It’ll sell very well in the community. Next will be (Tim) Stutzle and (Josh) Norris and I do believe they will sign them as well.”
“While none of us are very happy to pay what we have to to get the young stars signed, it is extremely critical to every franchise to lock these foundation players up long term,” the executive added. “It allows for so many important items to more clearly fall into place.”
A long-time Senator season ticket holder also gave the deal the seal of approval saying that it proves to fans that the team is committed to winning.
Frank Seravalli
This is a monumental day for the Ottawa Senators on a number of fronts – and one of them is certainly furthering the process of shedding that label of dysfunction.
But it’s bigger than that. That label has been peeling off for most of the last year anyway as the Senators have iced a competitive, burgeoning team that has drafted better than or at least as well as any franchise in the NHL over the last few years to lay the foundation for their rebuild.
That rebuild is over now, declared officially by owner Eugene Melnyk in recent weeks.
But it might have lingered on for a bit longer if things turned ugly with Tkachuk.
Because earning a long-term, big-money commitment from one of their linchpins to success was a hugely important sign for not just the fanbase and marketplace, but also for the other young players in that dressing room.
Tkachuk, while just 22, is the unquestioned heartbeat of the team. He broke into the league as an 18-year-old, learned the ropes from and grew close to Mark Stone, then served as the bridge to assimilate other young players once all of those veterans were traded away over the last three years. He brought everyone together. He’s also the on-ice engine, the player who drags the Sens into the fight each night.
On the contract, the Sens held firm. They wanted Tkachuk on a seven or eight-year deal. Tkachuk’s camp had their sights set on a three-year bridge deal. Ottawa also did not budge on signing bonus – a staple of the Melnyk era – but compromised with Tkachuk earning a no-move clause in the last three years of the deal.
In turn, the team with the clearest salary cap picture in the NHL, now has achieved cost certainty and set the bar for future deals. If Tkachuk continues to be Ottawa’s best and most productive forward, then Tim Stutzle, Josh Norris, Shane Pinto and every young player that follows will need to fall in line. It’s the perfect structure and precedent to set.
The Senators have also bought the best years of Tkachuk. Tkachuk will be 29 when the deal expires in June 2028. He’ll have pocketed at least $60 million in earnings from the Senators, more than enough financial security, with the ability to then chase an even bigger payday in his next contract as a UFA.
As Tkachuk continues to grow, so will the Senators. One was not possible without the other. And if you’re a Senators fan, you’re breathing a sigh of relief – now tuning in tonight with Brady in the building, ready to imagine what may come over the next couple of seasons as one of the NHL’s deepest prospect pools blossoms and comes to life before your eyes.