Sens’ Tkachuk says having to justify his commitment to Ottawa is a ‘distraction’

“None of that, I feel like I’ve never shown, I’ve never said, none of those things ever came out of my mouth. And quite honestly, it’s just getting frustrating. It’s becoming a distraction, because I have been fully committed to this team, to the city, and it’s just becoming a distraction and frustrating to deal with.”

Tkachuk was held without a point in the series against Carolina, and he said the loss weighs heavily.

“I don’t think anybody’s more frustrated with how everything went than me,” he said. “At the end of the day I didn’t play good enough. I tried doing everything in my power to get my game going to make an impact, and just felt like nothing was going, nothing was going in, nothing was going my way. I have to live with that.”

Tkachuk said he wasn’t dealing with any injuries, which made his performance that much more difficult to accept.

Despite the post-season not going as planned Tkachuk believes the Senators took strides this season and looks forward to connecting with general manager Steve Staios to discuss how the team can continue to improve.

“I think for every team that doesn’t win there’s always room to improve and get one step closer to it.”

The 26-year-old said 2025-26 was a season filled with highs and lows.

He sustained a hand injury three games in that required surgery and forced him to miss 20 contests. But he also had the opportunity to live a childhood dream of winning an Olympic gold medal with the United States.

He helped lead the Senators to a second straight playoff appearance, only to see the season come to an abrupt end at the hands of the Hurricanes.

Tkachuk said one of the things that will stand out this season is how the team dealt with adversity, from injuries on the ice to rumours on social media.

Head coach Travis Green had described the external chatter surrounding the team and its captain as “white noise.”

“I mean, there was a lot of it, and, at times, to be honest, it was frustrating to kind of deal with that,” Tkachuk said. “But I think our team, like you said, just stopped listening and stopped not really caring what other people said. All we cared about were the guys in the room, our effort, our attitude and our mindset and I think it showed that nothing really mattered to us other than the guys in that room.”

Tkachuk said he struggles to understand why there’s skepticism surrounding his commitment to the team and the city. With two years remaining on his contract Tkachuk isn’t even in a position to start talking about an extension until July 2027.

“I mean, honestly, I don’t really, honestly I don’t get why,” he said. “It’s a consistent thing, and it’s happened so many times, personally, and it’s frustrating to have to answer to something that has never been spoken out of my mouth. Has never been spoken from the team’s mouth but I just feel like I have to consistently answer to it, and it’s just frustrating.”

Tkachuk said he will not be competing with the U.S. at the world hockey championship. For now, he’s looking forward to being a father and enjoying life with his family of four.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 29, 2026.

Lisa Wallace, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Sens’ Tkachuk says having to justify his commitment to Ottawa is a ‘distraction’

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