The Ottawa Senators’ season has taken a tragic turn lately, causing the team to slide down the Atlantic Division standings, in which they sit at the very bottom with 53 points. The Senators have also had to deal with some very uncomfortable issues on the ice, further worsening the franchise’s situation.
Does An Insider Rule Out the Possibility of a Potential Move for Senators Brady Tkachuk?
Moreover, Captain Brady Tkachuk is having a relatively underwhelming season. In fact, it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to argue that the Senators were putting on one impressive performance after another during his absence. Notwithstanding a dip in his numbers, a Central Division team known for making big moves could be interested in the Senators captain.
Bill Guerin did not hesitate to hand franchise cornerstone Kirill Kaprizov a contract so mammoth that it sent shockwaves across the league. Then came the iconic move to acquire defenseman Quinn Hughes. Interestingly, the Wild weren’t among the teams linked to the former Vancouver Canucks defenseman at all. Yet, Guerin emerged unobtrusively on the scene and struck a blockbuster deal with the struggling Canucks to land Hughes.
When it comes to speculating about Guerin’s next move, Wild insiders Michael Russo and Joe Smith have linked the Minnesota front office to the New York Rangers’ J.T. Miller. The Rangers and Miller are having a thoroughly forgettable season, but Guerin’s soft spot for the Rangers captain means that a move is not entirely outside the bounds of possibility.
However, Miller’s contract can pose problems for the Wild in the future if Guerin wants to pursue players like Tkachuk and Luke Hughes. Miller is a veteran player in the third year of his seven-year, $56 million contract, and this, according to Russo and Smith, could disrupt plans involving Tkachuk.
“The issue is he turns 33 this year and has four more years on his contract at an $8 million AAV. And if the Wild take on a lot of term, it could take them out of the running for some bigger fish — like, let’s say, a Jack and Luke Hughes or a Brady Tkachuk trade in the offseason or beyond,” the insiders noted in a recent contribution to The Athletic.
Moreover, a trade between the Rangers and the Wild for Miller could also face an impediment from Chris Drury and company. The Rangers’ front office dropped a fortune to acquire Miller from the Canucks, and may not be willing to part ways with him just yet, despite the fact that this season has been anything but what the Rangers had anticipated, with questions arising about Miller’s competency as the team’s captain.
