Brady Tkachuk isn’t losing sleep about potential “soft tampering.”
The Ottawa Senators captain says he talked to GM Steve Staios after a New York report suggested the Rangers were targeting Tkachuk in trade talks last week. He was told there was no truth to any of it.
“It’s stuff I can’t really control. I’m gonna be honest, it doesn’t really bother me because it’s coming from a place where obviously it’s not true,” Tkachuk told reporters Tuesday. “I think it just speaks to the leadership we have in this organization with Mr. Andlauer and Steve, and how they have not just my back at this time, but the players’ backs through their time here and through their future.”
Tkachuk said Staios reached out to him after the initial report.
“He called me and I think he was pretty frustrated,” Tkachuk said. “To be honest with you, I didn’t even see (the report). I had really no idea why he was calling me. It meant a lot for him to address it with me individually and just say there’s zero per cent accuracy with that statement that came out.”
Andlauer raised eyebrows Monday at the NHL’s board of governors meeting when he mentioned it was possible there was “soft tampering” in this case.
On Tuesday, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was asked if he was concerned about tampering.
“I don’t like tampering and, obviously, if somebody alleges tampering and it can be proven, there are consequences to that,” he told reporters. “But I’m not weighing in on any particular cases right now.”
Andlauer did not talk to reporters at the BOG meeting on Tuesday.
