"All about sticking it out": Brady Tkachuk on shutting down Senators exit speculations after making playoffs

Brady Tkachuk made it clear that his focus has always been on building something in Ottawa, not leaving it. After the Senators were knocked out of the playoffs by the Toronto Maple Leafs in six games, the captain spoke to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski about the talk surrounding his future.

Tkachuk admitted the past few years were frustrating, with expectations not being met. However, he believes last season showed that the team was moving in the right direction.

“Playoffs are great to get to, but that’s not our end goal,” Tkachuk said on Sunday. “The sky’s the limit for our group.”

He said he never thought about moving on, even when the team was struggling. For Tkachuk, getting the Senators back to the playoffs after seven years was important for the team and the city.

“It was all about sticking it out,” Tkachuk said. “It’s been a long time coming, for not just our team but the city, to get into the playoffs. And I think it was really important to me to end that drought."

Ottawa made the postseason as the first wild card in the Eastern Conference, finishing with a 45-30-7 record. Its last playoff appearance was in 2017, when it lost to Pittsburgh in double overtime in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final.

Tkachuk also talked about how much it meant to overcome the challenges of recent years. The Senators went from being near the bottom of the standings to competing in the postseason. He feels that experience will help them in the future.

"Through all that adversity that we faced with being the bottom five teams to finally get to the playoffs was an amazing feeling," Tkachuk said. "But now that we got there, I think everybody wants a little bit more and wants to accomplish all of our childhood dreams."

For Tkachuk, making the playoffs was never about proving doubters wrong, but showing that the team can compete and grow together. Ending the drought was a big step, but in his view, it’s only the beginning.

Brady Tkachuk calls NHL 26 cover with family a special honor

Brady Tkachuk said it was a special honor to be on the NHL 26 Deluxe Edition cover with his brother, Matthew, and their father, Keith.

“Growing up, Matthew and I dreamed of playing just like our dad,” Brady said on Sunday, via NHL.com’s Christopher Detwiler.

The Senators captain had 29 goals and 26 assists in the 2024-25 regular season, and added seven points in the playoffs. Ottawa lost to Toronto in the first round, but Brady called the cover a meaningful family moment.

NHL 26 will be released on Sept. 12.