Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk says he doesn't want to keep addressing trade rumors he insists aren't true.
"I feel like I've answered this hundreds of times," Tkachuk said, per TSN. "None of those things ever came out of my mouth. Quite honestly, it's just getting frustrating. It's becoming a distraction. I have been fully committed to this team, to this city, and it's just become a distraction and frustrating to deal with."
Tkachuk met with reporters at his end-of-season press conference on Wednesday, having missed Monday's scheduled media sessions to celebrate the birth of his daughter. After an impressive stretch run to qualify for the playoffs, the Senators were swept in the first round by the Carolina Hurricanes.
Tkachuk failed to register a point across the four postseason games and finished a minus-4.
"I don't think anybody has more expectations than I have on myself," Tkachuk said, according to Sportsnet. "I don't think anybody's more frustrated with how everything went than me. At the end of the day, I didn't play good enough. I tried doing everything in my power to get my game going - make an impact - and just felt like nothing was going. Nothing was going in, nothing was going my way. But I got to live with that."
Tkachuk has fended off trade rumors over the past few seasons, with general manager Steve Staios dismissing the persistent speculation as "nonsense" on Monday.
Tkachuk is under contract for two more campaigns at an $8.205-million cap hit and owns a full no-movement clause. Though the 26-year-old is eligible to sign an extension with the Senators as of July 1, 2027, a new deal doesn't appear to be on his mind just yet.
"It's something you can't physically do," Tkachuk said, according to Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch. "Excited to hear Steve's thoughts and what he thinks he can do."
Drafted fourth overall in 2018 and named captain in 2021, Tkachuk has notched 463 points in 572 games across eight seasons.
