Senators describe Brady Tkachuk trade rumblings as "soft tampering" Michael Andlauer has officially been the owner of the Ottawa Senators for a little over a year now, and it’s been baptism by fire. Andlauer took over a team in turmoil and had to deal with a lot: * undefined * undefined * undefined * undefined * undefined * undefined Now, he’s getting a reminder that his NHL partners aren’t really his partners, at least not when it comes to the actual competition of hockey. One of Andlauer’s best players is his captain, Brady Tkachuk—a player the big American teams would love to get their hands on. Tkachuk’s contract doesn’t expire until the summer of 2028, but the vultures have begun to circle, trying to expedite his departure from Ottawa. It seemed to start earlier this year with former NHL player Ryan Whitney from Spittin’ Chiclets, who said he was “hearing that Ottawa would maybe move Tkachuk.” Then three months later, The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford said on St. Louis radio station 101 ESPN [https://www.101espn.com/episode/the-athletics-blues-insider-jeremy-rutherford-60] that Tkachuk "likely is available and that the Blues would definitely check into that situation." It seemed natural that St. Louis, where Tkachuk grew up, would be the first city to start kicking tires. They've now been joined by the New York Rangers, both of them working under the assumption that Tkachuk, an American, will want out of Ottawa the first chance he gets. Ottawa is a small market in Canada with bad weather and big taxes and the team never makes the playoffs. New York Post writer Larry Brooks was on The Spittin' Chiclets podcast and says he was told on three recent occasions that the Rangers were targeting Tkachuk in trade talks. For Andlauer, all of this dialogue is a problem and sure looks like, as he described it to TSN's Pierre LeBrun [https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/insiders-discuss-ottawa-senators-owner-michael-andlauer-s-soft-tampering-claim-on-brady-tkachuk-1.2217586], "soft tampering," though the Rangers see it as an irresponsible accusation, as Frank Seravalli reported. Without communicating with him directly, these teams are telling Tkachuk they want him, whether it's now or later. Andlauer doesn't want Tkachuk to hear this blather and start thinking the Sens are looking to trade him, even though they've assured him that's not the case. That might damage any loyalty Tkachuk feels when the Sens try to extend him in two and a half years. Star players have leverage, and if they're unhappy enough in a situation, or excited enough about another, they sometimes ask for a trade. Tkachuk seems to have no such plans and none of this talk seems to faze him. He says he hadn't even heard about the New York Post story until Andlauer called to reassure him. He's not frustrated about any of it. "Yeah, I mean, I can't control it," Tkachuk told the media on Tuesday. "Of course, it's happened multiple times now, and obviously, it's just not true. So it would just be a waste of energy to get frustrated with something that I can't control. But like I said, it's the support and the protection that Mr. Andlauer and (GM) Steve (Staios) provide. It definitely makes you feel good, and I think it makes the group feel good as well." "The reason why I signed a seven-year deal is because I believe in this team. I believe in what we're doing, I believe in everybody, not just in this room, but everybody in this building that we're all pushing in the right direction. I signed here for seven years because I love playing here." Once Tkachuk slips into the final year of his contract in 2027-28, all bets are off. But until then, it sounds like he and the Senators are happy together for now. In the meantime, NHL trade rumblings are part of the game. Always have been, always will. For example, how long did the Ottawa media and fan base talk about Claude Giroux as a target before he eventually signed here? GM Pierre Dorion admitted having specific interest in Giroux four years before getting the chance to sign him. Giroux even admitted that Tkachuk joked with him at the 2022 NHL All-Star Game and said, "I was told to be nice to you this weekend, so you can maybe come with us (to Ottawa) next year." Surely, even though it was a joke, the term "soft tampering" can be applied to something in there. Andlauer's concerns are justified, but he probably needs to take a page from Tkachuk's book and not worry about what he can't control. Let's face it. As time goes on, the noise around Tkachuk is only going to get louder.
