There's no concern in Canada's capital despite ongoing rumours swirling around their captain.
The Ottawa Senators have the utmost confidence in their ability to keep captain Brady Tkachuk around long-term despite their sluggish start to the season, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported on Saturday Headlines.
Tkachuk's name has been the topic of much discourse in recent days after an article from the New York Post reported that the New York Rangers, after sending away Jacob Trouba, are targeting Tkachuk to help boost their offence.
Friedman said that despite the interest, the Senators don't intend to make any big shake-ups concerning their superstar forward.
"I think the Senators are very, very confident," Friedman said. "He's signed for three more seasons and I think they're very, very confident that he is going to play out to the full end of the contract."
The Rangers have ample cap room after trading away Trouba, their own captain, with $7.7 million available for any move they hope to make to reverse their fortunes in what's also been a disappointing year. They did however extend superstar goalie Igor Shesterking to a record-breaking eight-year deal worth $11.5 AAV, which will kick in next season.
Tkachuk, 25, signed a seven-year contract worth $8.22 million AAV back in 2021, with the deal set to expire at the end of the 2027-28 season, hoping that the then-22-year-old could be a key piece in bringing Ottawa back to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
However, the Senators haven't made good on their promise as of yet and sit sixth in the Atlantic division with an 11-12-2 record. They haven't finished above sixth in the division since they last made the playoffs.
Despite their struggles, Tkachuk has excelled, filling up the stat sheet with 13 goals and 16 assists in 25 games this season. Known for his physical style as well, he has also racked up a team-high 50 penalty minutes.
It makes sense that teams hoping for a boost would look at a player as talented as Tkachuk playing on a team that can't seem to take the next step, like the Ottawa Senators. However, Friedman held firm that there was no interest from the team in getting rid of him.
"One thing I do think is that the Senators and their fans are probably going to have to live with some noise. That is the way it goes," Friedman said. "Whenever a team battles to try to get into the playoffs and doesn't get there, there's always going to be questions about 'Is this player going to be happy? Is this player not going to be happy?'
"I don't think the Senators can respond to every rumour, but I do think the overall feeling is that they're very confident that he's going to stay. He wants to stay."
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