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Brady Tkachuk

Brendan Lemieux Offered In-Person Hearing For Biting

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Los Angeles Kings forward Brendan Lemieux has been offered an in-person hearing (via Zoom) by the Department of Player Safety following the incident from last night. After engaging Brady Tkachuk, Lemieux appeared to bite the Ottawa Senators captain and was given a match penalty which brings an automatic review from the league. The in-person hearing, however, opens the door for the league to suspend Lemieux for more than five games.

Tkachuk did not mince words after the game when discussing his assailant with reporters including Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia:

It was the most gutless thing somebody could ever do. This guy, you can ask anyone of his teammates, nobody ever wants to play with him. This guy is a bad guy and a bad teammate, he focuses on himsef all the time. The guy’s a just a joke. He shouldn’t be in the league. This guy’s gutless. No other team wants him, he’s going to keep begging to be in the NHL but no other team is going to want him, he’s an absolute joke. 

It’s outrageous. Kids don’t even do that anymore. Babies do that. I don’t even know what he was thinking, he’s just a complete brick head. He’s got nothing up there. Bad guy, bad player but what a joke he is. 

The time and date of the hearing have not yet been set, meaning Lemieux is currently suspended. He does not need to accept the in-person offer, but declining it does not stop the league from issuing a suspension of more than five games.  There will be an appeal process available to Lemieux after the decision is made.

Brady Tkachuk Named Captain Of Ottawa Senators

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As many expected now that his contract has been signed, Brady Tkachuk will be the next captain of the Ottawa Senators. The team announced their decision today, naming Tkachuk the tenth captain in franchise history. GM Pierre Dorion released this statement:

Brady’s ingrained understanding of what it means to be a pro has made him the right choice for the team’s captaincy. He holds a unique skill set and places team success above all else. Admired by teammates and coaches, and respected by opponents, he’s certain to serve as a great ambassador for both our team and for the city of Ottawa.

That ingrained understanding comes from his father, Keith, who served for many years as captain of the Winnipeg Jets and then Phoenix Coyotes during his own playing days. The elder Tkachuk was also an alternate with the St. Louis Blues and Team USA, embodying the same characteristics that Dorion described in his son.

Brady Tkachuk, 22, is in just his fourth season in the NHL, but was the obvious choice for the Senators given his impact on the lineup. The 6’4″ winger does just about everything for the team, including leading them in scoring each of the past two seasons. While he missed a few games at the start of the season due to his contract negotiation, he’s now locked up long-term after signing a seven-year, $57.5MM deal on October 14.

That long-term deal should provide the Senators with some stability in terms of leadership, with Tkachuk becoming the team’s first captain since Erik Karlsson was traded to the San Jose Sharks. Ottawa is turning the corner on their rebuild and have plenty of talented young players, but there was only really ever one choice for the captaincy, should he commit to the team in contract negotiations.

Brady Tkachuk To Make Season Debut On Thursday

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Winger Brady Tkachuk will make his season debut for the Ottawa Senators on Thursday against the San Jose Sharks, Senators head coach D.J. Smith confirms.

The Senators have a three-day break ahead of them after playing three games in four nights to open the season. Without their best forward in the lineup, the team impressed, starting the season off 2-1-0.

Tkachuk’s season debut will come at home after appearing in street clothes during the team’s season opener last Thursday at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs to a standing ovation. The Senators signed Tkachuk to a seven-year, $57.5MM contract earlier on that Thursday.

He’ll undoubtedly get slotted on the team’s first line in his return, reuniting as a trio with Josh Norris and Drake Batherson. That line impressed all last season in its first year of existence, seeing its members score 17 goals apiece and at least 30 points apiece in a shortened 56-game season.

The team has risen to its 2-1-0 start largely due to the impressive play of Anton Forsberg and Filip Gustavsson in the net. Despite that record, the Senators have scored only seven goals in their first three games, averaging 2.33 per contest. Tkachuk’s infusion into the lineup and the depth advantage that it provides will undoubtedly go a long way towards boosting those numbers.

Senators Notes: Norris, Captaincy, Center Depth

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Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion delivered an interview with TSN on Sunday, giving a sort of state of the union address surrounding a variety of pressing issues around the organization. One of these is the contract status of pending restricted free agent Josh Norris, who’s in the final year of his entry-level deal that he signed in May of 2019. Norris emerged as the team’s number one center last season, scoring 35 points in 56 games in his first full NHL season. Dorion relayed that he spoke to Norris’ agent, Craig Oster, on Friday, expecting to begin talks with Norris “at some point in time.” While the quote carries a high degree of vagueness, dialogue this early, especially when initiated by the general manager, is always a promising sign on the path towards completing a contract. Norris has already scored a goal this season through his first two games.

More from the Senators organization:

  • Dorion notes that an announcement about the team’s captaincy is not imminent, saying the club will continue to discuss and “take their time” on the decision. Many speculated that star winger Brady Tkachuk could be the next to sport the ’C’ for the Senators, especially after signing a seven-year contract to stay with the club earlier this week. It appears as though the team isn’t quite ready to make that call, as young defender Thomas Chabot also makes a compelling case to be named the club’s captain. Ottawa’s captaincy has remained vacant ever since the departure of Erik Karlsson in 2018.
  • Speaking with TSN’s James Duthie, Dorion mentions that he’s open to holding trade talks about acquiring a center to help the team’s depth down the middle. While Ottawa’s emergence out of their rebuild hasn’t guided them to a playoff spot as of yet, the team’s messaging adamantly reveals that internally, they feel ready to take the next step. It’s unlikely that Ottawa is at the point where they’re willing to mortgage futures to swing a huge deal, but as Dorion mentions, if it’s the right fit, a smaller but still notable acquisition isn’t off the table this season if they find themselves in the race.

Atlantic Notes: Weber, Murray, Tkachuk, Mrazek

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The NHL has permitted the Canadiens to place defenseman Shea Weber on LTIR, reports Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic in the latest Insider Trading segment.  Shortly following the playoffs, Montreal announced Weber would not play at all this season and may not play again but there were reports that the league wanted to take a closer look at his case since he was able to play for the entirety of the playoffs.  To that end, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told LeBrun that “We are not currently challenging that Shea Weber satisfied the CBA requirements necessary to qualify for LTI”, allowing for the possibility for them to re-evaluate the situation later on.  Montreal will need to make use of Weber’s LTIR assuming goaltender Carey Price returns at some point this season.

More from the Atlantic Division:

  • Senators winger Brady Tkachuk has been ruled out of Saturday’s contest against Toronto, relays Postmedia’s Ken Warren. However, he’s expected to make his season debut either Sunday against Dallas or Thursday against San Jose.  Tkachuk signed his seven-year deal yesterday and will need some time to get up to speed before suiting up.
  • Still with Ottawa, the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve moved goaltender Matt Murray to injured reserve retroactive to October 12th. He has been dealing with a non-COVID-related illness that caused him to miss the opener and now it will keep him out through the weekend at the very least.  The retroactive placement makes him eligible to be activated for Thursday’s contest.
  • Given the fact that groin injuries can be longer-term than expected, Chris Johnston of the Toronto Star suggested in a recent appearance on TSN 1050 (audio link) that it’s unlikely that Maple Leafs goaltender Petr Mrazek will return in the near future. He left Thursday’s game against Ottawa due to the injury.  It sounds likely that a stint on IR is forthcoming which means they will need to call a goalie up from the minors, likely veteran Michael Hutchinson.

Ottawa Senators Sign Brady Tkachuk

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The Ottawa Senators held strong in their ask of a long-term contract for Brady Tkachuk, and it appears as though it has paid off. Ottawa has signed their prized RFA to a seven-year, $57.5MM contract. That makes Tkachuk the highest-paid player on the Senators, just eclipsing the $8MM cap hit that Thomas Chabot carries. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that the deal includes a full no-movement clause in the final three years. The full breakdown is as follows:

  • 2021-22: $4.0MM salary
  • 2022-23: $6.5MM salary
  • 2023-24: $10.5MM salary
  • 2024-25: $10.5MM salary
  • 2025-26: $10.5MM salary
  • 2026-27: $8.5MM salary
  • 2027-28: $7.0MM salary

Senators GM Pierre Dorion released a statement:

This is an exciting day for the Ottawa Senators. Brady possesses a very dynamic skill set and is a prototypical power forward in today’s NHL. He scores goals, he plays physical and exemplifies what it means to be a pro for all players in our organization.

As expected, the deal does not include any signing bonus money, a staple of Dorion’s negotiations. Tkachuk is expected to be in the building tonight for the team when they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs, but will not play, according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff.

Compared to the short-term deals that could have taken Tkachuk to unrestricted free agency much quicker, this is a huge win for the Senators. They will pay their star forward a bit more than some of his contemporaries–Andrei Svechnikov signed an eight-year, $62MM deal ($7.75MM AAV)–but will not have to worry about another negotiation for quite some time.

Technically, because the season has already started, Tkachuk’s cap hit for the 2021-22 season will actually be slightly higher, coming in at $8,330,674 according to CapFriendly. That really doesn’t mean much for the Senators, who are nowhere near the cap ceiling. The hit will come down to $8,205,714 for the final six years of the deal, still making Tkachuk the most expensive player on the team.

There is no doubt that the 22-year-old forward is the heartbeat of the Senators, though it is important to remember that this is still a player that has never eclipsed 22 goals or 45 points in a single season. Ottawa very likely paid a premium in this deal because of their history of losing (trading) stars as they approached free agency, something they obviously wanted to avoid in this situation. The team is expecting big things from the young group they’ve assembled, and needed the leader back on the ice to push things in the right direction.

That essentially ends the RFA period for this season, with all of the major players signed. Quite a bit of money was handed out this offseason as things return to normal, even though there is no significant salary cap movement expected until 2025.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Tkachuk, Sceviour, Kane, Blackwell

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While there has been a suggestion in recent days that signing bonuses have been a big part of the holdup in contract talks for Senators RFA winger Brady Tkachuk, that isn’t the case, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch.  The scribe suggests that at this point, the biggest holdup is term and total salary in each option.  Ottawa’s known preference is a max-term eight-year deal while Tkachuk’s camp appears to be leaning towards preferring a bridge deal.  With Ottawa’s regular season getting underway on Thursday, time is running out to have the 22-year-old in the lineup on opening night.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • The Oilers are believed to have offered forward Colton Sceviour a two-way contract, suggests Postmedia’s Kurt Leavins. Sceviour attended camp with Edmonton on a PTO, getting into seven of eight games while collecting three assists.  The 32-year-old had 10 points in 46 games with Pittsburgh last season and is believed to be weighing his other options at the moment before making a final decision on whether or not to accept their offer.
  • The Sharks have released their season-opening roster and veteran winger Evander Kane is not on it. Instead, the team indicated that the 30-year-old is “is considered a non-roster player pending completion of the NHL’s investigation”.  Kane did not participate in training camp and there is some hope that the investigation will wrap up over the next few days.  Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News relays (Twitter link) that their cap situation as it pertains to Kane’s absence is still to be determined.
  • Kraken forward Colin Blackwell is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury, notes Marisa Ingemi of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). The 28-year-old didn’t play at all in the preseason with the injury and it doesn’t appear as if he’s close to returning.  That’s another regular player that will be missing on opening night on top of the five that are currently in COVID protocol.

Latest On Brady Tkachuk

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The Ottawa Senators have two preseason games left. This Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens, and Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Right now, it looks like they may not have star forward Brady Tkachuk for either of them.

Tkachuk is the final major restricted free agent left to sign this offseason after his most recent training partners, Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson, both signed multi-year deals with the Vancouver Canucks. Neither of those contracts, which were six and three years in length respectively, seem to be what the Senators are looking for in their negotiation with Tkachuk. Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest tweets that Ottawa is “set” on only signing Tkachuk to a seven or eight-year deal.

One of the closest comparables to Tkachuk in terms of age and production was Andrei Svechnikov, who reached an eight-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes in August. The two were both picked at the top of the 2018 draft, and have similar numbers through their first 200 NHL games (Svechnikov has one less goal but 15 more points in seven more games). The simple fact is though that not many premium restricted free agents are signing deals of that length for their second contract, instead trying to maximize earning potential by selling off fewer years of unrestricted free agency. That can be a nice compromise for most teams, given they also have salary cap concerns to worry about and a shorter deal keeps the cap hit down, but Ottawa isn’t really in that situation.

The Senators have more cap space than any other team in the league, as they currently sit below the cap floor. It makes sense then that they would want to lock in Tkachuk for as long as possible, as they did with Thomas Chabot in 2019 when they signed him to an eight-year, $64MM contract extension. Given their history of losing key players in free agency (or, rather trading them away as they approached it), buying out as many years as they can now is likely their best option. Avoiding a bridge deal, which would open up the path to arbitration in a few seasons, also seems prudent for a team that works on an internal budget.

But this season was also about turning the corner for Ottawa, moving away from the complete rebuild, and starting to play competitive hockey. Without Tkachuk in the lineup, their roster suddenly doesn’t look like it is ready to take that next step. Missing training camp and the start of the season has different effects on every player but has negatively impacted the performance of many in the past. The Senators have already accepted that risk as Tkachuk has missed most of camp, but if they don’t want him to miss many games they have just a few days left to find a compromise of some sort.

Though it is a long way away, one date to remember is December 1, when restricted free agents must be signed by if they are to play at all. In 2018, William Nylander and the Toronto Maple Leafs made a deal at the very last second on his current six-year contract, which allowed him to suit up for the rest of the season. He had a dreadful year, scoring just seven goals in 54 games, and both sides expressed regret that they didn’t get something done sooner. There’s plenty of time to avoid that situation, but once the season begins, December comes quickly.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Senators Notes: Tkachuk, Pinto, Bishop

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The biggest story for the Ottawa Senators right now is still Brady Tkachuk, who is unsigned and has already missed a good chunk of training camp. There seems to be no end in sight to negotiations that have gone on for some time, despite Senators GM Pierre Dorion repeatedly stating that talks were progressing and positive. Last night, Darren Dreger joined TSN radio to explain the current situation:

It’s still an amicable process I’m told, between Newport, the Tkachuk camp and the Ottawa Senators. But at the end of the day it feels like they’re grinding over the obvious, aren’t they? If Brady is going to accept that long-term, then he’s going to need bonus money, he’s going to need a little [trade] protection, all that. Otherwise, he’s going to look at what brother Matthew has done in Calgary and he’s going to fight for that bridge [contract]. And what’s that bridge number going to look like? It’s going to be too much for Ottawa.

Notably, the Senators do not give out signing bonus money in any of their contracts. The only player who is set to receive any sort of bonus (outside of the small amounts attached to entry-level contracts) is Nikita Zaitsev, who signed his seven-year, $31.5MM deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs before being traded to Ottawa. Andrei Svechnikov, one of Tkachuk’s closest comparables, received just over $4MM in signing bonus money from the Carolina Hurricanes when he signed his eight-year, $62MM contract earlier this summer.

  • While the rest of the Senators’ young forwards prepare without Tkachuk in the mix, there have been more and more opportunities handed out. One player who has run with that chance? Shane Pinto, who is making a case to be the team’s second-line center according to Wayne Scanlan of Sportsnet. The 20-year-old forward was picked with the 32nd overall selection in 2019 and was impressive in his short 12-game stint with the Senators last season, registering one goal and seven points at the end of the year. He has been one of the team’s best players at training camp and is in the mix for a full-time role of some sort this year.
  • One of the players who could have been competing for a center role in the bottom-six appears to be out of the way, as head coach D.J. Smith told TSN radio today that the ankle injury Clark Bishop suffered last night could keep him out a “considerable amount of time.” Smith confirmed that Bishop’s ankle is not broken, but an injury at this point is terrible timing for the 25-year-old. Bishop signed a one-year, two-way deal in May to stay with the Senators and avoid Group VI unrestricted free agency, after playing in 13 games last season.

Remaining RFAs Training Together As Season Approaches

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If you navigate to the restricted free agent page on CapFriendly, only five names remain unsigned for the upcoming season. Two of them are New York Islanders players–Anatoly Golyshev and Kieffer Bellows–who are both already in training camp even though the team has not officially announced new contracts. The other three, Elias Pettersson, Brady Tkachuk and Quinn Hughes, are having their own kind of training camp in Michigan. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that the three are now skating together as they continue to wait out their contract negotiations.

Pettersson joined Hughes there as the Vancouver Canucks deal directly with representative Pat Brisson on new deals for the young stars. As recently as Tuesday, the super-agent told Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV that he and the club were speaking every other day, working to get deals done as soon as possible. But it’s now a couple of days into camp and the two most important players on the Vancouver roster are not even in the country.

In Ottawa, things are moving forward without Tkachuk, the team’s best forward and likely their next captain. GM Pierre Dorion once again told reporters including Wayne Scanlan of Sportsnet that the negotiations were “productive and positive,” but the 22-year-old is now missing from camp in an all-important year for the Senators. The team is looking to turn the corner on their rebuild and Tkachuk is the player that needs to lead them there.

A week ago, Justin Bourne of Sportsnet wrote a column detailing his viewpoint on missing the start of training camp. He makes the case that the early part of the season is the most crucial, because of the trust it builds between the coaching staff and roster. While neither Vancouver nor Ottawa have rookie head coaches trying to get the respect of the room, they are both teams that are by no means guaranteed a playoff spot or even a competitive season. Any disruption to the start of the year could cascade throughout the entire schedule.

For now though, all the players can do is train on their own and wait for a resolution. Thomas Drance of The Athletic writes that it will have to be Pettersson that signs before Hughes, because of the latter’s status as a 10.2(c) RFA that cannot be signed to an offer sheet. If they signed them in the reverse, it would open a window for another team to swoop in and offer something to Pettersson that would be difficult to match under the Canucks’ current cap situation.

At this point, there are no more comparables to be signed, as these are the three pillars left standing. The only real pressure point coming now is the start of the regular season, certainly not something either side wants to wait for.

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