If Ottawa continues to underachieve, though, the questions will persist. The no-movement clause in Tkachuk’s contract kicks in on July 1, and it’s ultimately on the Senators to build a team that will prove Tkachuk right in committing and reaffirming his loyalty to the franchise.

Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk broke the silence after the recent trade rumors linking him to the New York Rangers.

Getting a bruising forward like Tkachuk would absolutely be a whopper of a deal. But Sens VP of communications Ian Mendes had a very funny response, posting a picture of the synonyms for “whopper,” very much implying that it was an “untruth.”

Tkachuk revealed that Senators general manager Steve Staios had personally reassured him there was no validity to the rumors, which the player said "didn't even see" when they popped up following a report by Larry Brooks of the New York Post.

Are teams in the NHL interested in Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk? Sure, why wouldn’t they be? From the way he plays to the leadership qualities he brings on the ice, but that does not mean he is available.

In response to the speculation, Senators GM Steve Staios lost no time and in an interview with Bruce Garrioch the Ottawa Citizen he strongly refuted the claims of a "blockbuster trade" being in the works involving the Rangers and Tkachuk, calling the rumors “total garbage.”

Statement from #NYR on alleged “soft tampering” by #GoSensGo owner Michael Andlauer on recent reporting that Rangers were targeting Brady Tkachuk: “This is an irresponsible accusation and we defer to the Commissioner’s office.”