Those pesky Brady Tkachuk rumors are back, and this time, he's tied to the New York Rangers. The Ottawa Senators captain has somehow seen his name dragged into the complete meltdown that is the Rangers season. Amid rumors that Jacob Trouba has played his last game in Rangers blue and everyone else is available, Larry Brooks of the NY Post floated the idea that the Rangers have asked about Brady Tkachuk while also looking to remove some unnecessary veterans from the roster.
Column. There is more to come. Blueshirts targeting Brady Tkachuk in trade talks in what would be a whopper. https://t.co/jrCcJoaeEo
— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) December 6, 2024
Brooks spoke about the Rangers sending huge names the other way, even bringing up former first-overall pick Alex Lafreniere as a possible centerpiece. It would definitely be a whopper of a deal, as Brooks suggests.
The Devils have been tied to Tkachuk in the past, as well. Tkachuk is currently building a home in New Jersey, has family ties to the state, and Tom Fitzgerald is literally his cousin. That's the Devils general manager, in case you didn't know. Of course, Fitzgerald didn't help the Devils get Brady's brother Matthew Tkachuk, but this situation could be different.
Many have pointed out that a deal of this magnitude likely wouldn't happen until the offseason. The Senators haven't had a "sell it for parts" type of season.
Still, the Devils are going to be first in line if Tkachuk becomes available (and we readily admit, that's a big if). It's going to cost an arm and a leg to make it happen. We talk about this in April. The deals to make a Tkachuk deal happen are insane. We mentioned a one-for-one for Nico Hischier (should absolutely never happen and won't), a deal for Dawson Mercer and a top-10 pick (not sure the equivalent pick they could offer now), and then there was Simon Nemec and Seamus Casey for Tkachuk and Shane Pinto.
A lot has happened since April, and the deals would have to be adjustest, but the point of this is the Devils have the prized young talent that they can afford to part with (except Hischier, that was said to prove a point) and the motivation to add Tkachuk to this team. While the Rangers have certain pieces that could work, the Devils probably fit the Senators needs in a post-Tkachuk world better than the Rangers.
They also have Travis Green as head coach. He is keenly aware of the talent on the Devils, and he got the best out of Nemec last season. The Senators could figure they have inside knowledge and get the pieces they truly want to fit in their rebuild (if that's the direction they go).
Would the Devils love to add Tkachuk right now? Of course, and they might be willing to trade Nemec+++ right this second to make it happen, but the reality is Ottawa is just three points out of a playoff spot (which the last spot is ironically owned by the Rangers). Some simple meshing would push this roster to the next level. So, this is probably going to get tabled for now. In the meantime, let's all enjoy the complete implosion across the Hudson River.