Ottawa Senators owner Michael Andlauer drew attention by suggesting "soft tampering" regarding a rumor about the Rangers targeting Brady Tkachuk. But Adam Proteau said he was defending his captain.
Brady TkachukOn some basic level, NHL owners are just like NHL fans.
Both groups are invested, monetarily and emotionally, in the players who wear their team’s jersey. And when both groups of people feel like they’re not being treated fairly, they get upset.
That’s what we’re seeing this week from Ottawa Senators owner Michael Andlauer, who spoke out after a New York Post report that the New York Rangers made Sens captain Brady Tkachuk a primary target. He suggested to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun there was "soft tampering" involved.
“This is about protecting our fans, our players and their families,” Andlauer told reporters at the NHL’s Board of Governors meeting in Florida. “Brady and his wife (Emma) just had a baby. They don’t need that in their lives.”
Andlauer’s comments were clearly focused on the Rangers, who in turn released a statement that said, “This is an irresponsible accusation and we defer to the commissioner's office."
To be sure, if Andlauer has evidence of tampering, he should bring it before the NHL right away. It is a serious accusation to make or suggest, and trying to investigate a rumor would not be a straightforward task.
But if he’s speaking in general, he has every right to defend his team. And Sens fans ought to be happy to have an owner who will push back to ensure his franchise is protected from anyone who would hurt the team.
The league no doubt doesn’t want these types of outbursts, as peace among the 32 ownership groups is the ideal situation for the league. But seeing his captain mentioned in trade rumors again was obviously too much for Andlauer to stomach.
As we’ve said, Tkachuk won't be traded anywhere, and if the Senators did decide to move Tkachuk, Ottawa fans would likely be outraged.
Trade rumors are a fact of life for all NHLers to deal with. But sometimes, the rumors become too much for players and owners to simply suffer in silence.
If Andlauer sat back quietly and let Tkachuk become affected by the rumors, that could have been an issue in itself. But he tried to protect his team from any problematic issues.
With due respect to the Rangers, Andlauer can’t be faulted for that.
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