Since being drafted fourth overall in 2018, Brady Tkachuk has seen incredible lows for the Ottawa Senators, but 2025 the the highest during his tenure with the Senators making the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2017.
Sens fans have chanted "Brady" louder than ever during his tenure. The love for Tkachuk hasn't gone unnoticed and his importance to the team hasn't either.
Despite the love Tkachuk gets from Sens fans, there might be pressure on the Senators with Tkachuk moving forward, and the team will need to accept it which starts this Summer.
Adding talent around Tkachuk before contract runs out is pivotal to want him to stay more in Ottawa
In 2028, Tkachuk will have his contract run out and is set to be an unrestricted free agent. With making the playoffs for the first time in eight years, the window to win is now for the Senators.
However, adding enough talent around Tkachuk to help him want to stay longer in Ottawa will be key. It will start with this free agency.
Claude Giroux and Adam Gaudette are both free agents. With the love Giroux has gotten for the past three years, pressure is on the Senators if they can re-sign him. Gaudette has been linked to the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers already, so pressure is on the Senators to keep Gaudette for a fair price.
Along with Giroux, 2025 has talented free agents teams will be intersted in. To Mitch Marner, to Jamie Benn, to Matt Duchene, to John Tavares, to Nikolaj Ehlers, to Brent Burns, to Aaron Ekblad and more. If the Senators can land a top free agent this Summer, it can show they are committed to adding more talent around Tkachuk and the roster.
2026 and 2027 will be the same thing. Over that span, talented players like Connor McDavid, Artemi Panarin, Alex Ovechkin, Kyle Connor, Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, Tyler Seguin, Cale Makar and other skilled players will have their contracts run out. If the Senators were to add a big name during those two years, it shows they're committed to win with Tkachuk leading the way.
It's important for any star player, let alone a captain of a team to express how much they want to stay with their team. However, it's important that that player knows there is enough talent on the roster being added that can help them win.
That is the situation the Senators can face with Tkachuk until his contract expires. Although the Senators do have core players on the roster locked up for more years, the team will need to re-sign and sign players in free agency to keep Tkachuk satisfied with his chances to win in Ottawa.