Rangers respond to Senators’ alleged ‘soft tampering’ claim

A strange soap opera is continuing to brew in the NHL.

In an interview with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Ottawa Senators owner Michael Andlauer claimed the New York Rangers were “soft tampering” in regard to their reported interest in Senators captain Brady Tkachuk. That report came from a recent article from the New York Post’s Larry Brooks.

However, the Rangers didn’t take too kindly to be accused of breaking the rules, releasing a statement on Monday.

“This is an irresponsible accusation and we defer to the Commissioner’s office,” the statement said.

According to Andlauer, the Senators are tired of having to deny the rumors that the team would be trading the 25-year-old since the piece came out.

Andlauer’s frustration toward Brooks is either from the possibility that Brooks wrote about false information, or he was being misguided.

“..or he’s being fed false information, and if indeed he’s being fed false information, or people are giving this information from another NHL organization…I don’t know.”

Brooks’ piece came out shortly after the Rangers traded away their former captain, Jacob Trouba, to the Anaheim Ducks. There is still plenty of chatter that the Blueshirts will be making another move in the next few months before the deadline, if not sooner.

It will be interesting to see both what the Rangers or Senators will do in the near future. The Rangers came into the 2024-25 season fresh off winning the President’s Trophy and had the expectations to challenge for the Stanley Cup, while Ottawa was hopeful the team could at least challenge for a playoff spot.

As it stands, the Rangers (14-11-1) are fourth in the Metropolitan Division, 11 points back of the first-place Washington Capitals. The Senators (12-13-2) are fifth in the Atlantic, 10 points behind the Florida Panthers for first. The Blueshirts are currently in the second Wild Card spot while the Sens are three points back.