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The Ottawa Senators got caught in the fallout from the New York Rangers trading Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks.
Soon after the Trouba deal occurred on Friday, the New York Post‘s Larry Brooks reported the Rangers made left wing Brady Tkachuk their primary trade target. Brooks believed “the Senators’ 25-year-old hardscrabble captain” would bring a big change to the Rangers’ identity.
The Senators weren’t pleased by Brooks’ column. The Hockey News’ Remy Mastey cited reports out of Ottawa indicating team sources dismissing the story as “garbage,” adding GM Steve Staios intended to meet with Tkachuk to assure him that he’s not on the trade block.
Meanwhile, Adam Proteau dismissed the notion of the Senators trading Tkachuk as wishful thinking. If they did attempt to peddle their captain, Proteau believes they would lose out in any deal.
The reaction out of Ottawa forced Brooks to backtrack a little, instead suggesting that Tkachuk was the prototype player the Rangers sought.
On Saturday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reminded everyone that Tkachuk has three more years remaining on his contract. He indicated the Senators are confident their captain will play out that deal with them.
Friedman also believes the Senators and their fans must get used to this conjecture. He believes it comes with the territory for a team struggling to reach the playoffs to have speculation surface about the futures of their best players.
The best way for the Senators to silence those rumors is to end their seven-year playoff drought.
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“We’re going to have a highly motivated individual with a little bit of a weight off his shoulders.” -Ryan Strome on adding Jacob Trouba
When the dust settles, how will Trouba mesh with the Ducks on the ice?⤵️@TheHockeyNews | #FlyTogether https://t.co/Mf9JvKwpPl
— Patrick Present (@PatrickCPresent) December 9, 2024
As for Trouba, Adam Proteau believes he shouldn’t get too comfortable in Anaheim. He wouldn’t be surprised if Ducks GM Pat Verbeek flipped the 31-year-old defenseman to a playoff contender by the March 7 trade deadline.
Trouba has a year remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $8 million. Verbeek could retain up to half of that if he wanted to improve the quality of the trade return.
Sportsnet’s Luke Fox also thinks another Trouba trade could occur near the deadline. He believes there will be interest in the former Rangers captain, noting the Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, Columbus Blue Jackets and the Senators looked into acquiring him before he was shipped to the Ducks.
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