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The Ottawa Senators were caught up in the fallout from the New York Rangers trading Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks.
Shortly after the Trouba deal took place on Friday, the New York PostLarry Brooks reported that the Rangers made left wing Brady Tkachuk their top trade target. Brooks believed that “the 25-year-old hardscrabble captain of the Senators” would bring about a major change in the Rangers’ identity.
The senators were not happy with Brooks’ column. Remy Mastey of Hockey News cited reports out of Ottawa that showed team sources dismissed the story as “nonsense,” adding that GM Steve Staios planned to meet with Tkachuk to assure him he is not on the trade block.
Meanwhile, Adam Proteau dismissed the idea that the Senators would trade Tkachuk as wishful thinking. If they tried to cheat their captain, Proteau believes they would lose on every deal.
The response from Ottawa forced Brooks to backtrack a bit, instead suggesting Tkachuk was the prototype player the Rangers wanted.
On Saturday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reminded everyone that Tkachuk has three years left on his contract. He indicated that the Senators are confident that their captain will honor that deal with them.
Friedman also believes the Senators and their fans should get used to this presumption. He believes it is an opportunity for a team struggling to reach the playoffs to spark speculation about the future of their best players.
The best way for the Senators to silence these rumors is to end their seven-year playoff drought.
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“We get a highly motivated individual with a small burden off his shoulders.” -Ryan Strome on adding Jacob Trouba
When the dust settles, how will Trouba connect with the Ducks on the ice?⤵️@HockeyNews | #FlyTogether https://t.co/Mf9JvKwpPl
— Patrick Present (@PatrickCPresent) December 9, 2024
As for Trouba, Adam Proteau doesn’t think he should get too comfortable in Anaheim. He wouldn’t be surprised if Ducks GM Pat Verbeek turns the 31-year-old defenseman into a playoff candidate before the March 7 trade deadline.
Trouba has one year left on his contract with a cap hit of $8 million. Verbeek could keep up to half of that if he wanted to improve the quality of trading returns.
Sportsnet’s Luke Fox also thinks another Trouba trade could happen near the deadline. He believes there will be interest in the former Rangers captain, noting that the Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, Columbus Blue Jackets and Senators looked at acquiring him before he was shipped to the Ducks.
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