The Carolina Hurricanes got the brooms out and swept away Brady Tkachuk’s Ottawa Senators as they became the first team to be knocked out of the 2026 NHL playoffs. The first-round sweep means focus now shifts to an offseason filled with more questions than answers. However, an NHL insider is urging the Senators to slow down before making any major decisions involving Captain Tkachuk and Linus Ullmark.
Senators Told Not to Rush Into Changes With Brady Tkachuk, Linus Ullmark
Ottawa’s 2025-26 campaign was a dramatic turnaround story that ultimately ended in disappointment. After looking dead in the water midway through the season, the Senators mounted an impressive late push to reach the playoffs, only to run into a battle-tested Carolina team that ended their run in four games.
Back in January, Ottawa sat at the bottom of the Atlantic Division, 10 points out of a playoff spot. Despite injuries across their blue line, the Senators defied expectations, posting a 13-5-1 run down the stretch to punch their postseason ticket. But that momentum didn’t carry over against the Hurricanes.
Captain Brady Tkachuk faced criticism after being held pointless in all four playoff games, fueling trade speculation. Meanwhile, Linus Ullmark was one of Ottawa’s bright spots. After an inconsistent regular season, the goaltender elevated his game in the playoffs, posting a 2.03 goals-against average and .932 save percentage.
With frustration boiling over after the sweep, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman believes this is the worst time for Ottawa to make emotional decisions. His message was simple: wait.
“The Senators need to make no decisions. No decisions for a week or two. It is white-hot around that organization right now. They’re angry. They’re frustrated. They’re disappointed. They’re furious. They’re all the bad emotions rolled into one right now. There’s no sugarcoating it. It’s an awful defeat. It is, they had terrible injuries. Everything about it sucked,” Friedman said.
In his view, getting swept by a seasoned Carolina club that consistently goes deep in the playoffs is worlds different from collapsing against an unproven opponent. Rather than overreacting, he believes Ottawa should step back and assess things with a clear head.
It’s a notable stance, especially as speculation swirls around Tkachuk’s long-term future and whether changes could come after another disappointing playoff exit. But Friedman’s point is that this may not be the moment for drastic moves.
That said, Senators insider Bruce Garrioch also reported that Ottawa will need to sit down with Tkachuk to decide where his head is at after he head tears in his eyes following Game 4. Garrioch also noted that Sens brass will check in with Linus Ullmark, who had a tough regular season but redeemed himself when the chips were down.
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For now, talk of major roster changes remains just that, talk. But after a sweep, those conversations tend to grow louder. How Ottawa handles the coming weeks could shape not only its offseason, but potentially the future of its captain, its starting goaltender, and the direction of the franchise.
