Tkachuk frustrated by trade speculation — The Fourth Period

Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk spoke with the media on Wednesday and expressed his discontent with having to address trade speculation that seems to have surrounded him over the last year or so.

Tkachuk, 26, has two more seasons remaining on his seven-year, $57.56 million contract, which includes a full no-movement clause.

Various reports, including those by TFP’s David Pagnotta, have suggested that the Senators are expected to receive trade interest in Tkachuk this summer and that conversations are expected to occur involving the Senators and other teams about his services.

“I feel like I’ve answered this hundreds of times,” he said. “Quite honestly, it’s just getting frustrating. It’s becoming a distraction. I have been fully committed to this team, to this city. It’s just becoming frustrating to deal with.”

Other reports have claimed that Tkachuk would welcome a change of scenery, something the star forward said has “never been spoken out of my mouth or the team’s mouth.”

Pagnotta noted last week that teams looking to make a splash this summer could line up for Tkachuk, and that clubs like the St. Louis Blues, Utah Mammoth and Seattle Kraken, among others, may come calling.

Tkachuk also voiced his disappointment in his own on-ice performance, especially in the playoffs, where he was held off the scoresheet.

“I don’t think anybody’s more frustrated with how everything went than me,” he said of the club being swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first-round. “At the end of the day I didn’t play good enough. I tried doing everything in my power to get my game going to make an impact, and just felt like nothing was going, nothing was going in, nothing was going my way. I have to live with that.”

In 60 games with the Senators this season, Tkachuk registered 22 goals and 37 assists for 59 points.