When Brady Tkachuk requested a trade out of Ottawa this offseason, a lot of fans wondered how his teammates would react after losing the player who had been the face of the franchise for seven seasons.

But Senators centre Shane Pinto made it clear on Monday that he keeps a clear distinction between business and friendship.

Speaking on TSN 1200 on Tuesday, Pinto has no hard feelings toward his former captain, who was traded to the Florida Panthers last month, where he'll now play alongside his brother, Matthew.

"On a personal level, he's still going to be my bud," Pinto said. "And there's always going to be the business side of hockey, so you just kind of leave that out of it."

There have been media reports suggesting Tkachuk had been telling teammates for years that he eventually wanted to leave Ottawa, and that players were growing tired of the noise around the captain.

But without being asked about either report, Pinto's comments told a different story.

"I think, obviously, (the trade) took everyone kind of by surprise," Pinto said. "He's been such a big part of this organization. Obviously, the face of it. And he's obviously one of my good buds, too. So, to see him go, it definitely sucks. But I think he just wanted to go down a different path, and I totally understand that."

While losing a captain in his prime is never easy, Pinto says he feels like there's still a strong core in place that has grown together over the past several years.

"We have a bunch of guys here that have been here for a while," Pinto said. "I think we're all growing together with Timmy, Drake, and Chabs. We've been here for a couple of years now, and I think that's the (focus) now."

Pinto's comments offer some insight into how the Senators' dressing room has handled one of the biggest trades in franchise history. While Tkachuk's decision was disappointing, it doesn't appear to have damaged the friendships he built with his teammates.

"We just wish him all the best," Pinto said. "I know we'll see him down the road. He's going to be in the division, so I'm sure we're going to see him a lot."

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News