The Ottawa Senators’ season ended in disappointment, and right on cue, the noise around the team is only getting louder. After a first-round sweep by Carolina, attention has quickly shifted from what went wrong to what could come next. The body wasn’t even cold yet before trade rumors started to engulf Senators captain Brady Tkachuk, including speculation linking him to St. Louis and New York.
St. Louis Trade Rumors Swirl Around Brady Tkachuk
Trade speculation around Tkachuk has intensified following Ottawa’s quick playoff exit. After an impressive late push just to reach the postseason, the Senators ran into a seasoned Carolina squad that ended their run in four straight games.
Tkachuk, meanwhile, endured a rough series. The Senators’ captain was held without a goal or a point in four games and finished with a minus-4 rating, numbers that only fueled outside speculation about Ottawa’s future direction.
With the Senators struggling to gain traction in recent playoff appearances, some have wondered whether the organization could consider major changes, including the unthinkable: exploring a move involving their captain.
That chatter has naturally linked Tkachuk to his hometown team, the St. Louis Blues, while the New York Rangers also appear to be lurking. Still, a deal would be anything but simple. Tkachuk has two years remaining on his seven-year, $57.5 million contract and holds a no-trade clause, meaning he would have to approve any move away from Ottawa.
Blues insider Jeremy Rutherford weighed in on the rumors and didn’t sound convinced that anything is brewing. “Will he be available this summer? No one knows yet,” Rutherford wrote in his column. “But just like when his brother Matthew was on the block, it’s no surprise when the St. Louis-bred pair are in the local rumor mill.”
Rutherford acknowledged that the fit is easy to imagine. With Doug Armstrong trying to position the Blues well for the future before Alex Steen eventually takes over, a player like Tkachuk would instantly help. But he also questioned whether a trade would make sense for St. Louis.
If the Blues have to part with premium prospects, multiple high picks, or established young talent, does that run counter to the patient path the organization has talked about taking?
Rutherford also raised questions about whether Ottawa would even be interested in the kind of package St. Louis could offer. “Do the Blues have the assets that would get Ottawa’s attention? I believe they do,” he noted. “But would a team such as the Sens want [Jordan] Kyrou? Would the Blues be giving up a lot more because they’re selling low?”
In the end, Rutherford made his stance pretty clear. “I’ll say there’s no deal for Tkachuk,” he wrote, citing both the trade obstacles and uncertainty over whether Brady even wants to play in St. Louis.
For now, that may cool some of the noise.
While speculation tends to grow after a sweep, especially involving a franchise captain, Rutherford’s read suggests a Tkachuk-to-Blues blockbuster remains unlikely.
Sens GM Steve Staios addressed the noise around Tkachuk’s future on Monday night, saying, “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.
“It’s nonsense is what is it. It depends on what link and what fanbase it’s coming from. I don’t read it, I don’t bother with it. We know what we have internally, we have great communication with our players. We really don’t focus on it.”
ALSO READ: MORE: ‘You’re Not Winning’: Matthew Tkachuk Reveals Why Brady Tkachuk’s Senators Never Had a Chance Vs. Carolina Hurricanes
Still, as Ottawa heads into a pivotal offseason, questions about the captain’s future probably aren’t disappearing anytime soon.
