Brady Tkachuk publicly calls out trade rumour distractions and his honesty makes Matthews' silence even louder
Photo credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
Brady Tkachuk made it known that any trade rumours are false and the fire he showed shone a light on Auston Matthews and his could shoulder attitude towards Toronto.
As the Ottawa Senators cleaned out their lockers and made their end of season media rounds, the solemn and gloomy mood in the room was well-understood. After sneaking into the playoffs, the Sens were dominated and swept by the Hurricanes, leaving just as soon as they entered.
A lot of critics have pointed to Brady Tkachuk for not pulling through when it mattered most, and the stats really do tell a rough story for the captain:
No points on 11 shots, and the only real positive was his face-off percentage. Otherwise it was a miserable affair that included a fight off the opening draw with Jordan Staal; who took him out with ease.
Tkachuk called out the trade rumours directly and his honesty is exactly what star players in pressure markets need to do
So now all fingers are pointing to his potential exit, and with trade rumours swirling around the nation's capital — it may only be a matter of time.
Though if you were to ask Tkachuk himself, he would tell you all of that is nonsense and the commitment to the Senators has not wavered despite the early exit:
I feel like I’ve answered this 100s of times. That none of that, I’ve never shown, I’ve never said, 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, this City.
That's the attitude you want from someone who is the captain and leader of your team. Despite them losing in egregiously quick fashion and hearing all the chatter; Tkachuk did his best to settle down the noise and set the record straight.
It's something many from around the league could learn from as far too often the stars tend to downplay the situation to save face. If things are bad say it; like Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak did a few days ago.
Matthews has not said a word since the season ended and Tkachuk just made that silence impossible to ignore
But no one needs to heed the attitude and philosophy of Tkachuk than his Olympic teammate and Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews.
The last thing we heard from Matthews is that he is going to be waiting on the management team to be sorted out before deciding about a long-term commitment, and his inability to give a straight answer has harmed his reputation.
He loves the team and all reports have indicated he wants to stay, but wants a clear plan in place to decide if he wants to extend. That's great from a personal accomplishment aspect, but leaders of teams don't just quit when times get hard.
Shane Doan was captain of the Coyotes for 13 seasons, and dealt with some miserable seasons; so too did Gabriel Landeskog and Sidney Crosby. Not everything is perfect all the time, and these guys never said 'Well I don't know about things'. They owned up to their failures and got the team better without an ultimatum.
There's a lot of talk about bringing in Mats Sundin to help restore the passion behind the jersey, but that needs to have a captain who is just as invested.
Maybe Matthews needs to take a page out of his ol' buddy's playbook and start being a bit more vocal before he starts to get drowned out by all the other noise.
Also read on Hockey Patrol :
Matthews and Nylander went to management with a specific demand and every Leafs fan needs to hear it
Matthews and Nylander went to management with a specific demand and every Leafs fan needs to hear it
Previously on Hockey Patrol