Tkachuk Dismisses Trade Rumors, Committed to Senators

0:00It's April 29th. Welcome in. This is NHL News Today, where your team meets AI. I'm Cory with the story. Brady Takachuk, the 26-year-old captain of the Ottawa Senators, just shut down all those trade rumors hard. He's got two seasons left on his contract and says he's fully committed to the team in the city. The Senators got swept in four games by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the playoffs, and Tika Chuk was held pointless the whole time. Earlier this week, he held a press conference after missing the end of season media day for the birth of his daughter, Lila. Tika Chuk called the constant speculation frustrating and a real distraction, stressing he's never once hinted at wanting out. In the regular season, he put up 59 points in 60 games, but nothing clicked in the postseason. Tika Chuk owned his playoff struggles, saying he couldn't get his game going and it hit his confidence big time. The Senators have made the playoffs the last two years, but bowed out early both times, including a six-game loss to Toronto last season.

1:00Team mate Tim Stutzle praised him as a young leader under pressure in a tough Canadian market. General manager Steve Stiles already labeled the rumors nonsense on Monday. Tika Chuk, drafted fourth overall in 2018 and named captain at just 21, plans his usual off-season chat with Stiles soon. With Tika Chuk locked in and the team reflecting, Ottawa's got real potential to build from here and push deeper next spring.