The New York Rangers have long admired Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk. Recent accusations are coming from the Canadian capital about the Rangers' "soft tampering" to let Tkachuk know they appreciate his playstyle. New York has been looking for young talents with a bit of bite that could help the Blueshirts in the postseason, and Brady Tkachuk fits that mold. With his family's reputation, Brady will be eager to live up to the hype, and the Rangers could make that happen.
Senators fans will comment on this to complain about the rumors surrounding their captain, but Tkachuk is now 25 and has never played a postseason game because Ottawa has been awful. They're hot and cold and still struggling to remain in contention for a playoff spot. When it comes down to it, the longer their struggles continue, the longer the rumors will continue swirling around the Senators star left winger.
Those accusations raised a question: what would it take to land the Senators captain? He's not the same player quality as someone like Artemi Panarin or his brother Matthew Tkachuk, but he's an impressive piece for a playoff team. Considering his age, is there a world where he could be available and the Rangers could rope him in? All questions that require answering. Since there's nothing else to discuss during this holiday trade freeze, let's have fun.
The price will be steep when the Blueshirts leap to acquire the son of former NHL enforcer Keith Tkachuk. Brady isn't good enough to demand K'Andre Miller, Alexis Lafreniere, and Gabriel Perreault as building blocks for a deal. Still, Miller and Perreault without Lafreniere might be an ask, especially if the Senators want that flushed out with picks and other prospects to address their farm system issues. It'll be expensive if the Rangers want to acquire the Senators captain, and his age makes this relatively risk-free.
It's not all positive surrounding the Sens captain. Tkachuk's defensive game is horrible, and he'll often take the approach that laying a big hit is superior to keeping the puck out of his net. He's not the most outstanding leader, so do not be fooled by the captaincy he dawns in the Canadian Capital. His captaincy has been a disaster for the Senators, and they know he isn't capable of leading that team at this point, hence the acquisitions of leaders like Claude Giroux.
You'd see the Rangers pick up Tkachuk purely for his point production, which the Rangers need. The Rangers are creating offensively, but their production isn't near the usual level you'd expect. The team's finishing has dissipated, and the Blueshirts have been left scrambling for answers. Whether Brady is the answer or not, we may not know until the summer, but the idea of Tkacuk excites the Blueshirts front office.