Tkachuk says he’s been ‘fully committed’ to Senators, City of Ottawa

Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk speaks with reporters at Canadian Tire Centre on Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (TSN)

Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk says discussions about his future are “becoming a distraction,” adding he has been “fully committed to this team, to the city.”

Tkachuk spoke with reporters on Wednesday, four days after the Senators’ season came to an end in the first round of the NHL playoffs. Tkachuk left Ottawa on Saturday night for the birth of his daughter Lyla.

Tkachuk was asked about the discourse regarding his future in Ottawa since the playoffs ended.

“I feel like I’ve answered this hundreds of times… I feel like I’ve never shown, I’ve never said, none of those things ever came out of my mouth,” Tkachuk said.

“Quite honestly, it’s just getting frustrating; it’s becoming a distraction. I have been fully committed to this team, to the city, and it’s just becoming a distraction, frustrating to deal with.”

• Speculation that Brady Tkachuk leaves Ottawa ‘nonsense,’ says Sens GM

Tkachuk said he will speak with Senators general manager Steve Staios about the team and what he thinks of his game now that the season has ended.

The captain has two years left on his current contract before he becomes an unrestricted free agent. Tkachuk says talks on a contract extension are one year away.

“That’s something you physically can’t even do anytime soon,” Tkachuk said.

Looking back on the season, Tkachuk said he was “really proud” of the way the team handled the adversity of the season.

“The fact that we made up all that ground and got into this position was good; it was a goal to get into the playoffs,” Tkachuk said. “But at the end of the day, we didn’t what we truly wanted and that’s the Stanley Cup.”

The Senators clinched a playoff spot in the season after a rough first half of the season.

“I’m really just proud of everybody in that locker room for how we all handled that adversity,” Tkachuk said. “We were able to battle back was something that we can all be really proud of.”

Tkachuk reiterated it’s “frustrating” to have to answer questions about his future when it has “never been spoken out of my mouth” or mentioned by the team.

Tkachuk wrapped up his media conference with a message for Senators fans.

“I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for the support that you guys had for our team, myself, my family all year,” Tkachuk said. “Really wish we could be playing for you guys still. You guys brought so much energy, so much joy to our team that kind of makes it sting even more.”

• Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App