‘There’s nothing that we have talked about’: Senators’ GM Stave Staios on Brady Tkachuk trade rumors
Now that the Ottawa Senators‘ season is officially over thanks to the four-game sweep they suffered at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes, offseason speculation can can enter into full swing in Canada’s capital.
The center of that speculation is captain Brady Tkachuk, who went pointless in the series against Carolina while pulling attention-grabbing antics like fighting Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal off the opening faceoff in Game 1.
Tkachuk might be becoming more trouble than he’s worth, coming off a good-but-not-great 22-goal season and giving platform to his father Keith’s less-than-complimentary comments about the Senators on he and his brother Matthew’s podcast.
Given that Tkachuk’s value is still high around the league, and there being a certain team (ahem, Florida Panthers) that would love to add him to their mix, the idea has been put forward that Ottawa could potentially move him this summer.
In his final media availability of the season, Senators general manager Steve Staios shut down the notion that trading Tkachuk is something he is considering.
“This comes up often,” Staios said. “I don’t think that – there’s nothing that we have talked about or thought about where that conversation should happen.”
GM Steve Staios asked about Brady Tkachuk and where the Captain's future stands: “This comes up often. I don’t think that - there’s nothing that we have talked about or thought about where that conversation should happen.” #Sens
Staios’ comments, which were likely meant to suppress any conjecture, did not reject the notion of a Tkachuk trade outright, leaving the door open for Ottawa’s management team to talk about the idea more seriously in the future.
Staios also discussed Tkachuk’s season as a whole, which included games missed due to injury and winning an Olympic gold medal with the United States men’s hockey team.
“I think he dealt with a lot,” he said. “We have to really put this into perspective. He came out of the gate, dealt with an injury to start the season. Off to the Olympics, wins a Gold medal, in a condensed schedule in a regular season schedule. There was a lot this year and there was a lot on him. He continued to play. One thing is that brady’s game continues to grow and mature, both on and off the ice.”
Steve Staios on Brady Tkachuk's performance this season: “I think he dealt with a lot. We have to really put this into perspective. He came out of the gate, dealt with an injury to start the season. Off to the Olympics, wins a Gold medal, in a condensed schedule in a regular Show more