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3 spooky scenarios to send chills down Sens fans spines this Halloween

By Jack Baines

OTTAWA - OCTOBER 8: Ottawa Senators team owner Eugene Melnyk attends an event before the home opener against the New York Islanders at Scotiabank Place on October 8, 2009 in Ottawa, Canada. The Ottawa Senators defeated the New York Islanders 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images)
OTTAWA - OCTOBER 8: Ottawa Senators team owner Eugene Melnyk attends an event before the home opener against the New York Islanders at Scotiabank Place on October 8, 2009 in Ottawa, Canada. The Ottawa Senators defeated the New York Islanders 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images) /
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Brady Tkachuk #7, Ottawa Senators (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Brady Tkachuk #7, Ottawa Senators (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

The Brady Tkachuk Contract

Since making his debut two seasons ago, 2018 4th overall pick Brady Tkachuk has been one of the Sens best forwards. With players like Mark Stone, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and Matt Duchene all being shipped out during his tenure, Tkachuk is now pretty firmly the team’s best offensive weapon. Along with Thomas Chabot, he is the immediate future of the team.

Since July 1, though, Tkachuk has been eligible for an extension on his entry-level contract. There has been little traction on that front, however, so he remains a pending RFA for the 2021 off-season.

The Sens still have control over the 21-year old for the next five seasons, so it’s not as though he’s on the verge of leaving. Those five years also time up nicely with the team’s run of unparalleled success, which should be starting any day now, so even if he decides to run out the clock and bolt when he hits unrestricted free agency, the team could still get great value out of him while he’s here.

The nightmare scenario though is that, even with Tkachuk’s minimal leverage, the team still balks at his demands, which may end up in the $9 million range if he breaks out in his third season, and feels the need to move their top young player. Ottawa has shown a willingness to sign players such as Chabot and Colin White to big money extensions, but with the team’s notorious penny-pinching, every young player coming off an ELC is a test of ownership’s willingness to spend.

For the record, I think a deal gets done, maybe even in the near future, and we’ll look back at this period of concern as a massive overreaction. But for the time being, Tkachuk remains unsigned beyond next season.

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