Ottawa Senators fans love Brady Tkachuk, but his long-term contract is probably rolling along a little too quickly for their liking.
Tkachuk is entering year five of a seven-year deal that pays him $8.2 million per season. When examining the Senators’ current Stanley Cup window of opportunity, some observers tend to track it right alongside Tkachuk’s contract, because of the chance he may decide to follow in his brother's footsteps.
Three years ago, his older brother Matthew forced Calgary to trade him after he let the Flames know he wasn't planning to re-sign there.
So this past season, not surprisingly, the Brady rumours started. The New York Post reported in December that the Rangers had made Brady one of their primary trade targets.
The Senators vehemently denied it, and when owner Michael Andlauer arrived at the NHL’s Board of Governors’ meeting in Florida, he described it as soft tampering. Andlauer also said that Brady and his wife Emma had just had a child and didn’t need something like this in their lives.
The Rangers denied the soft tampering and described the accusation as irresponsible.
And so it began.
It only stands to reason, with Tkachuk being such an impactful player, that this kind of dialogue will continue to float out there over the next three years. But in an interview this week with ESPN and Greg Wyshynski, Brady’s father, Keith, had some thoughts on the matter that Sens fans will surely applaud.
By the way, for you kids out there, you may recognize Keith Tkachuk as the new cover boy for EA Sports' NHL 26 Deluxe Edition.
When Wyshynski asked about those rumblings out of New York last season and people who think Brady might want out, Keith suggested that Brady's situation is different than Matthew's.
“I wouldn’t believe everything you hear," Tkachuk told ESPN.com. "I think after what happened with Matthew in Calgary, everyone just assumes that’s going to happen with Brady [in Ottawa].
"But Brady loves it there. Brady has really cemented himself in the community. They’re a team on the rise. They got a great bunch of young players. They’re core players. The fans and the city itself treat him so well. He wants to be a big part of that moving forward.
"So I don’t think he’s going anywhere.”
That’s not exactly having Brady’s signature on the dotted line of an extension, nor is it something they’re even allowed to do for two more years, but it is some extremely encouraging insight from the head of the Tkachuk family.
After all, considering the past exits of Daniel Alfredsson, Erik Karlsson, and Jason Spezza, local hockey fans would like nothing better than to finally see a beloved captain go wire to wire as an Ottawa Senator.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa
This article originally appeared on The Hockey News website: Keith Tkachuk On Brady's Future In Ottawa: 'I Don't Think He's Going Anywhere'
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