After Dylan Larkin, another NHL star wants a trade and rumors are heating up
Brady Tkachuk has told the Ottawa Senators he would like them to facilitate a trade, and this morning the hockey world is treating it exactly the way it deserves: like a very big deal.
This is not a formal trade request, to be clear. According to @iamhockey1 on X, Tkachuk has communicated to the team that he would welcome a move if they can make it happen.
That distinction matters. Technically. But practically, when your captain signals he wants out after a first-round sweep, the off-season just shifted on its axis.
Tkachuk finished the regular season with 22 goals and 59 points in 60 games, carrying a cap hit of $8.2 million. Still a top-six winger in his prime at 26. Still one of the most physically imposing power forwards in the league.
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The playoffs were another story. He was held scoreless through all four games against Carolina, going minus-4, while Ottawa got swept out in embarrassing fashion.
Those four blank games did not come out of nowhere. Tkachuk had already gone pointless in his last five regular-season contests as well, going minus-4 in that stretch too.
Matthew Knies trade idea already circulating as Ottawa waits
A trade concept floated Sunday by @iamhockey1 has already caught attention: Knies to Ottawa, Tkachuk to Toronto.
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Matthew Knies posted 23 goals and 66 points in 79 games this season for the Maple Leafs. He is 23 years old and costs $7.75 million against the cap.
He also finished at a stunning minus-30 on a Toronto team that went 32-36-14, ranked 28th overall, and lost seven straight to end the regular year.
So both sides of this hypothetical trade involve talented young forwards who underperformed against the puck-side metrics when it mattered most. Think of it like swapping two QBs with big arms and shaky completion percentages and hoping the change of scenery fixes the decision-making.
Ottawa GM Steve Staios now has a franchise-altering decision in front of him. The Senators finished 44-27-11 with 99 points. Travis Green's group was built around Tkachuk as the physical anchor.
Washington's Chris Patrick and Spencer Carbery would have to be paying close attention too. The Capitals finished at 43-30-9, 95 points, sitting right there in the Metro conversation. Tkachuk has history in the division and knows how to play that brand of hockey.
The Senators went 3-1 against Toronto in head-to-head matchups this season, dominating late, including a 5-2 win in late February and a 3-1 home win to close the regular year. If Ottawa takes Knies, they are getting a player who was 0-for-4 against them this past season.
Whether Staios deals his captain or finds a way to reset the relationship, the Senators' window does not pause for negotiations.
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YESTERDAY
JUNE 6, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Mitch Marner | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
| Tomas Hertl | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jordan Staal | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Shea Theodore | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Brayden McNabb | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Taylor Hall | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jordan Martinook | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Andrei Svechnikov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jackson Blake | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jack Eichel | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Brett Howden | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Seth Jarvis | - | 1 | 1 | |
| William Karlsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Eric Robinson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jaccob Slavin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Logan Stankoven | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| Rasmus Andersson | - | - | - | |
| Ivan Barbashev | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||