Matthew Tkachuk Says Brady Prepared to Hold Out, Senators Not Close

Matthew Tkachuk was not the bearer of good news for Ottawa Senators fans as he sat down with the hosts of the 31 Thoughts podcast Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman. Saying “I’m in the mix. I’m always there,” Matthew told both, “It’s a family business. Nobody wants to deal with the Tkachuks in this. But we do it by committee.”

After he declared the entire family is working with Brady on finalizing a deal with the Senators, Matthew said that things are not going well and that there is false information out there. The two sides are not close, things have not gone well when it comes to the negotiations and Brady is potentially on his way to holding out like his brother and father both did during their NHL careers.

“There’s a lot fake stuff out there regarding this, they’re not too close, so hopefully it gets figured out.”

On an upcoming episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast, @TKACHUKycheese_ spoke to @JeffMarek and @FriedgeHNIC about Brady’s contract situation with the Senators. pic.twitter.com/6xAaaQ4APH

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 18, 2021

Matthew added:

“He might be pulling a classic Tkachuk right now. Dad held out, Matthew held out, and Brady looks like he’s on his way right now. So hopefully it can get figured out here. But it’s just a lot of fake stuff out there regarding this. They’re not too close. So hopefully it gets figured out, but who knows? My dad and I are definitely involved. Brady needs us to help him out with that stuff. He wasn’t as cutthroat as we were during it, but he’s starting to become more of a Tkachuk the later this goes.”

This is not good news for the Senators. While Brady is said to absolutely love playing in Ottawa and isn’t looking to leave, that he’s holding the team to the fire to give him the most money possible, and that he’s being goaded by his family to get more doesn’t bode well for this negotiation to come to solution any time soon. Many insiders have reported the two sides are close and Matthew is basically saying, ‘yeah, no, they aren’t.’

“He’s a great player, deserves to get everything he should,” Matthew said. Noting that he’s the most important part of their team and the captain, there’s a price the Senators should have to pay to retain his services and the family is making sure he knows that.

Next: Aho on the Kotkaniemi Offer Sheet: “It Was Pretty Funny”