Larry Brooks writes in the NY Post that Ottawa Captain Brady Tkachuk is the Rangers “primary target” via trade.
He says that a trade for Tkachuk would “immediately change” the Rangers identity but that the trade package going back to Ottawa would be “significant” and possibly include Alexis Lafreniere.
Darren Dreger tweeted that there is “nothing” going on between the Rangers and Senators, “zilch.”
Elliotte Friedman said on The Fan Hockey Show that he doesn’t believe Ottawa has “any interest” in talking about Tkachuk.
Bruce Garrioch tweets that there is “nothing” to Tkachuk to the Rangers or “anywhere else for that matter.”
Adam Rotter: A couple of things can be true at the same time. Tkachuk may be the Rangers primary target via trade but Ottawa may also have no interest in moving him. Just because Ottawa may not be interested in moving him doesn’t mean that Tkachuk, or a Tkachuk type of player is what the Rangers would love to add.
I was hoping in 2018 that Tkachuk would fall to the Rangers at 9 and that he could be reunited with then coach David Quinn. I don’t know if the Rangers would have chosen him, but it was taken out of their hands when he went fourth overall to the Senators.
There always seems to be this speculation about Tkachuk even though he’s the Senators captain and is in the fourth-year of the seven-year deal he signed to stay in Ottawa. Ottawa has been trying to break through in their rebuild and return to the playoffs and there is this speculation that they may look to break up some of their core if it doesn’t happen. There is also this belief, true or not, that he may look to return to the US at some point like his brother Matthew did when he wouldn’t commit to signing long-term in Calgary.
I think this is much more of what the Rangers want than something serious between the two teams.