Player Discussion Brady Tkachuk (LW) - Part XI

[PlayOn]

From what I understand, Brady has a NMC (or NTC?) starting this summer? So if there is any whispers of wanting to play with his brother or move on after the current contract is done, it's something we do have to think about right now. Otherwise, you're either stuck trading him for a token piece(s) in 2-3 years, or he walks for nothing.

It sucks to think about it, especially with all the stars we've lost over the last 10+ years, but you also can't let a massive asset like him walk for nothing or next to nothing.

Now if Brady is all-in on being a Senator past this current contract and winning with this team, then it's all moot. But I don't think even Brady knows what's in his heart 4+ years down the line (hell, does anyone?).

The joys of being a sports fan in the modern era, I guess.

There’s always gonna be a risk of him walking as UFA.

It is what it is. You can’t really trade him for fear of what might happen three years from now. The only way this gets interesting imo is if we do end up missing the playoffs and he becomes disenchanted with staying here now.

Otherwise they just have to keep trying to build a winner so he doesn’t want to leave.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

There’s always gonna be a risk of him walking as UFA.

It is what it is. You can’t really trade him for fear of what might happen three years from now. The only way this gets interesting imo is if we do end up missing the playoffs and he becomes disenchanted with staying here now.

Otherwise they just have to keep trying to build a winner so he doesn’t want to leave.

We'll probably have a good idea one way or another by the end of the season/playoffs. Hopefully.

It does get hard sometimes though...we've hemorrhaged a lot of amazing assets on this team to tear down and rebuild. You really hope it was all worth it and we at least get a good 2-3 rounds of playoffs out of it (at the very least) from this core.

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

Having lived in the U.S. (but born & raised in Canada) for sneaking up on 3 decades now, I’d be surprised if Brady doesn’t sign with a U.S. team when he hits free agency. Many Americans think of Canada as a socialist country which is not a positive thing in their minds. I hope I’m wrong, but it's just reality and the way many think.

What's sad is Socialism would benefit NHL players more than Capitalism. Capitalism literally only benefits NHL owners more

 

[Tuna99]

Great post. Brady is the kind of player that can change a game without scoring pts as he & his brother did last night by taking the momentum out of team Canada right off the bat. They took the crowd down a notch & showed everybody watching they were not intimidated by the crowd booing their anthem, but instead it riled them up to do something about it. That's how you fight back, that's how you make the players around you play bigger, that's how you win cups in the NHL when the going in the playoffs gets rough & the real players stand up & take control. The Tkachuks did that last night.

The most Canadian hockey thing we’ve seen since Salt Lake City Gold was the Tkachuk brothers both fighting to open the game - legends

 

[Xspyrit]

I don’t think it’ll be enough either. My personal opinion is we need Yakemchuk to hit and we need a top line RW that can create offence if we are to contend even with our current guys improving.

Can we find that player? No idea. A lot has to go right but that is true of any contender. I am not gonna sit here and pretend I am planning the parade or anything - we have a long way to go.

After Jensen : Sanderson, Chabot, ??????, Zub, Kleven, Matinpalo, JBD

I think Matinpalo has to be extended, JBD should be kept around for depth, Zub extended too if he stays healthy. We're not sure what Yakemchuk will be but what we saw in preseason just after being drafted is very encouraging that the guy can adapt to the NHL. Heck, I would have given him 9 games this season. IMO it's the only serious question mark for both defense and goaltending.

Assuming Tkachuk keeps the faith and wants to stick around : Stutzle, ??????, Tkachuk, Batherson, ??????, Norris, Pinto, Greig

I think you need about 8 really good forwards to build a contender. I'd say another guy of Stutzle level (or near) and another guy of Batherson's level. The problem (and question mark) is how do we find them? With how much scouting has evolved, I think it becomes harder and harder to find gems in later rounds, even after the first round

2017 : only significant forwards that weren't drafted in the first round are Jason Robertson (39th OA) and Drake Batherson (4th round)

2018 : Marchenko (2nd round), Sharangovich (5th round)

2019 : Aliaksei Protas (3rd round) and Voronkov (4th round)

Etc

And there's the problem of having to forfeit a 1st round pick soon. I think the hope resides in being able to sign another Giroux type forward and maybe Staios pulling another miracle trade. I have hopes for Blake Montgomery but could he really be a clear Top-6 forward?

 

[PlayOn]

After Jensen : Sanderson, Chabot, ??????, Zub, Kleven, Matinpalo, JBD

I think Matinpalo has to be extended, JBD should be kept around for depth, Zub extended too if he stays healthy. We're not sure what Yakemchuk will be but what we saw in preseason just after being drafted is very encouraging that the guy can adapt to the NHL. Heck, I would have given him 9 games this season. IMO it's the only serious question mark for both defense and goaltending.

Assuming Tkachuk keeps the faith and wants to stick around : Stutzle, ??????, Tkachuk, Batherson, ??????, Norris, Pinto, Greig

I think you need about 8 really good forwards to build a contender. I'd say another guy of Stutzle level (or near) and another guy of Batherson's level. The problem (and question mark) is how do we find them? With how much scouting has evolved, I think it becomes harder and harder to find gems in later rounds, even after the first round

2017 : only significant forwards that weren't drafted in the first round are Jason Robertson (39th OA) and Drake Batherson (4th round)

2018 : Marchenko (2nd round), Sharangovich (5th round)

2019 : Aliaksei Protas (3rd round) and Voronkov (4th round)

Etc

And there's the problem of having to forfeit a 1st round pick soon. I think the hope resides in being able to sign another Giroux type forward and maybe Staios pulling another miracle trade. I have hopes for Blake Montgomery but could he really be a clear Top-6 forward?

I don’t think we need two more scoring forwards.

There are only four forwards you can give PP1 time to when healthy. So if we assume that Stützle, Tkachuk and Batherson are staples there, you only have room for one more. Right now that has been either Giroux or Norris, but if we agree the team needs another high-end scoring talent then theoretically that is your 4th piece. The idea is that the additions of Yak + one scoring forward improves your PP. But I agree with you, that piece will be difficult to find, that’s why I singled it out in my post.

Anyone you acquire after that is a PP2 player and will need to be a good player 5v5. You’re not looking for a star, the team just has to identify the right guys.

It’s why I said I think the success of this team is more about the peak/upside of what we have than external additions. At the end of the day you can adjust 1-2 players in the core but you can’t switch everyone out.

 

[frightenedinmatenum2]

I think we should all assume that he is going to go to a US team when his contract is up and be pleasantly surprised if the Senators can keep him.

Look at it from his perspective. He's seen the guy who was his Alfredsson, Mark Stone, go to a big market American team and not only get the most lucrative contract possible but be given every single advantage and opportunity to win the Stanley Cup. The same thing with Matthew. Both players went on to win the cup, Brady hasn't even sniffed the playoffs until now, and the season isn't over yet...

With Friedman already reporting about the rising cap and falling Canadian dollar preventing teams from spending to the cap, there is going to be an even greater disparity between teams, which could make signing with a legitimate top tier big market organization even more compelling.

Add in the family perspective. He is from the USA. His entire family is there. His wife's family is from the USA. Put yourself in his shoes. What would you prefer?

Then the geopolitical issues are another factor. He is one of the most visible American players on a Canadian team at a time when there are unprecedented tensions between both countries. I am not suggesting any players would feel unsafe being in Canada, but if this escalates further, at the very least it must not be pleasant.

Lastly, he is a Tkachuk. They are a group of people who were created in a lab to extract the most leverage and wealth possible from NHL owners. They all work as a unit when it is time for one of them to get paid. His uncle is an NHL power agent, I assume that is because Keith Tkachuk ruled that female members of his family can only marry people who can further the families goal of one day securing the entirety of one NHL team's salary cap.

If we make the playoffs, and we look like the real deal, should we trade him? I'd say probably not. We've all learned the past 7 years just how brutal rebuilds and re-tools can be. We have 4 shots at doing damage before he might walk.

If we miss the playoffs, and management isn't sold on the makeup of this group, they probably should try to get the most possible in a trade for Brady now because then the situation changes from let's make the best of having Brady and build around him for 3 more seasons to if we keep Brady past July 1st and miss the playoffs again in 2025-2026, does he ask out early and we have to trade him for the equivalent of the JT Miller return?

 

[Agent Zuuuub]

Even if Brady leaves i don't think it signals a retool or rebuild.

The important thing would be to get a return though.

But even then we have a #1C, #1D, #1G, depth down the middle and on D and we're finally a strong systems team.

 

[Xspyrit]

I don’t think we need two more scoring forwards.

There are only four forwards you can give PP1 time to when healthy. So if we assume that Stützle, Tkachuk and Batherson are staples there, you only have room for one more. Right now that has been either Giroux or Norris, but if we agree the team needs another high-end scoring talent then theoretically that is your 4th piece. The idea is that the additions of Yak + one scoring forward improves your PP. But I agree with you, that piece will be difficult to find, that’s why I singled it out in my post.

Anyone you acquire after that is a PP2 player and will need to be a good player 5v5. You’re not looking for a star, the team just has to identify the right guys.

It’s why I said I think the success of this team is more about the peak/upside of what we have than external additions. At the end of the day you can adjust 1-2 players in the core but you can’t switch everyone out.

Tkachuk - Stutzle - Giroux
Perron - Norris - Batherson
Greig - Pinto - Gaudette
Reinhardt - Ostapchuk - Amadio


Giroux could replace Perron (assuming he'd take a significant paycut). If we could get a guy to play on Stutzle's RW, that would help immensely. Batherson would drive his line and face lower competition which would help him as well. Ideally, we'd have a better guy than Gaudette on R3 but cap is going to be tight no matter what

Even if Brady leaves i don't think it signals a retool or rebuild.

The important thing would be to get a return though.

But even then we have a #1C, #1D, #1G, depth down the middle and on D and we're finally a strong systems team.

Avs just traded Mikko Rantanen... it doesn't seem that they are heading into a rebuild. Not sure why some people are going nuts with this. The NHL is a business lol.

 

[BlueGoose27]

I really don’t envy the Sens right now. They have one of the biggest stars in the NHL and no matter what is said, the trade talks continue. I honestly don’t know what to think. If the Sens shit the bed again this season, I could def see a Brady trade this summer. Now that they’re fighting for a playoff spot, I’m not too sure. I do think if he stays, Sens need to figure out ways to get top talent to want to play in OTT. Unfortunately it’s a tough sell for the top UFA’s.

 

[Agent Zuuuub]

I really don’t envy the Sens right now. They have one of the biggest stars in the NHL and no matter what is said, the trade talks continue. I honestly don’t know what to think. If the Sens shit the bed again this season, I could def see a Brady trade this summer. Now that they’re fighting for a playoff spot, I’m not too sure. I do think if he stays, Sens need to figure out ways to get top talent to want to play in OTT. Unfortunately it’s a tough sell for the top UFA’s.

Almost every top talent we've had wanted to stay in Ottawa and the ones who left were because of Melnyk.

And no one really wins through going UFA the top names are almost always too expensive and past their primes.

You scout, draft and trade well and you don't need expensive UFAs.

 

[PlayOn]

Even if Brady leaves i don't think it signals a retool or rebuild.

The important thing would be to get a return though.

But even then we have a #1C, #1D, #1G, depth down the middle and on D and we're finally a strong systems team.

Chabot’s contract ends at the same time so the Sens will also have to decide if they want to re-sign a 30 year old Chabot. If they move both, I’d call that a retool.

I don’t think that means they won’t be trying to be competitive still. But realistically it might take a year or two to restructure the team as they see fit.

 

[Agent Zuuuub]

Chabot’s contract ends at the same time so the Sens will also have to decide if they want to re-sign a 30 year old Chabot. If they move both, I’d call that a retool.

I don’t think that means they won’t be trying to be competitive still. But realistically it might take a year or two to restructure the team as they see fit.

True I guess that would be a retool.

But that's also almost 20 million in salary we get to use.

Losing either player doesn't kill us.

 

[JungleBeat]

Brady should be playing for team Canada.

 

[Ice-Tray]

I don’t think Brady is going anywhere. I think he loves the city, loves the team, and really relishes his role.

I don’t think he’s nearly as mercenary as some fans paint him to be. I think the guys in that room are committed to win in Ottawa, and there is no reason why that should be any different now that new ownership has been making the team better.

I also think that he has the personality to really embrace both, especially when you listen to how his dad describes him.

We love to panic in here about players leaving because we have abandonment issues, but to me it’s all myths and noise. EK and Stone would have remained Senators if we had this current owner and GM in place, no doubt in my mind.

I also have no idea why people are panicking about the cap and budgets again already. There have been no indications that ownership is anything but committed to building a winner here, AND building a new arena.

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

above the padding - not bad - BACK OUT ON ICE

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

 

[Senscore]

Look I'm just saying if we were going to trade him his value may never be higher than right now.

 

[frightenedinmatenum2]

Brady should be playing for team Canada.

Is this going to be one of the selling points for Canada to join the USA?

 

[Senscore]

Brady not out for the 2nd

 

[frightenedinmatenum2]

I don’t think Brady is going anywhere. I think he loves the city, loves the team, and really relishes his role.

I don’t think he’s nearly as mercenary as some fans paint him to be. I think the guys in that room are committed to win in Ottawa, and there is no reason why that should be any different now that new ownership has been making the team better.

I also think that he has the personality to really embrace both, especially when you listen to how his dad describes him.

We love to panic in here about players leaving because we have abandonment issues, but to me it’s all myths and noise. EK and Stone would have remained Senators if we had this current owner and GM in place, no doubt in my mind.

I also have no idea why people are panicking about the cap and budgets again already. There have been no indications that ownership is anything but committed to building a winner here, AND building a new arena.

I don't panic about players leaving, but I am gonna call a Tkachuk a Tkachuk. I am not the type to think every star player is going to walk, most want to secure the bag. For example, you don't see my saying oh no Hamonic is gonna be gone next season just because he still hasn't signed an extension.

Brady not out for the 2nd

f***ing hell, still can't believe they let Ullmark play. I knew this was going to happen.

 

[Rand0m]

And he’s out for the rest of the game.

Just as expected, Sens can’t have anything good happen to them. Multiple injuries to key players just as things were going well.

Hopefully they’re just being extra cautious by taking him out because of these meaningless games that everyone will forget in 2 weeks.

 

[PatrickEaves]

I don't panic about players leaving, but I am gonna call a Tkachuk a Tkachuk. I am not the type to think every star player is going to walk, most want to secure the bag. For example, you don't see my saying oh no Hamonic is gonna be gone next season just because he still hasn't signed an extension.



f***ing hell, still can't believe they let Ullmark play. I knew this was going to happen.