TSN: Chris Johnston, Pierre LeBrun, and Darren Dreger at the GM meetings. Ottawa Senators owner isn’t happy with Brady Tkachuk’s name being brought up again in trade speculation and calls it ‘soft tampering.’
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Gino Reda: “Gentlemen, Larry Brooks, last Friday, threw out an article suggesting that the New York Rangers were very interested in Brady Tkachuk and seeing maybe there be a way for them to acquire him somewhere down the road.
And now, just a few moments ago, Pierre, we bumped into Michael Andlauer, the owner of the Ottawa Senators in the lobby of the hotel. And well, why don’t you share what he had to say to you?”
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LeBrun: “Yeah. So I had a chance to sit down with Michael Andlauer for a piece in The Athletic, a wide-ranging interview. But of course, we got to his captain, Brady Tkachuk, giving the news that happened last week.
And I can tell you, Michael Andlauer did not hold back and his frustration and anger that that report was out there. He called it soft tampering, quote, unquote, twice during this interview, as far as what he considers something that the league should be cracking down on.
And he’s upset because, as he says, it’s the third time since he’s been the owner of the Ottawa Senators that they’ve had to put out a fire concerning rumors around Brady Tkachuk and other teams being interested in him.
Michael Andlauer made it clear to me, he has not spoken, the Senators have not spoken to one single team in the National Hockey League about Brady Tkachuk at any time. He’s their captain. He’s going to be their captain long-term, according to Michael Andlauer.”
Johnston: “Well, look where we are. I think that this is going to be a topic now at the Board of Governors meeting. I mean, might be a developing one, whether it’s formally on the agenda or not.
But this has been a big hot-button subject for the league. You go back to last July 1st, the NHL did not like how that free agent period went. It’s something Bill Daly brought up with the General Managers in November. It’s, there was a recent memo put around reminding teams that they can be, you know, find money, draft picks, that theere can be some serious consequences in cases of tampering. It was framed kind of as a reminder of what the rules are.
But, you know, clearly this has already been a simmering issue, and then you get something like this, you know, I think, very likely, with the power brokers here in Florida, will be discussed.”
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Dreger: “Well, the problem is, though, that memos and emails sent by the commissioner’s office are Toothless. They don’t matter, right? And that’s the viewpoint of pretty much every owner across the National Hockey League.
And it really impacts the Canadian markets most, or at least it seems to. Smaller markets like Ottawa and Winnipeg, because even with players who are under contract, perhaps expiring contracts, there’s always this notion is to leave out there. Well, those players don’t want to stay in Winnipeg. They don’t want to stay long-term in Ottawa. No, they want to go to greener pastures, better taxation, all that kind of stuff.
So this is an issue that the Canadian general managers, especially have had to deal with this. And the frustration, I would say, from both the general managers and the owners, is that the league really can’t do anything about it, right?
Of course, you could fine somebody, but unless a team like Michael Andlauer and the Ottawa Senators file formal charges, the National Hockey League isn’t going to do anything to get to the allegations.”
LeBrun: Yeah, and I don’t know if Andlauer is going to do that, but he certainly told me that he intends on bringing it up with Gary Bettman and Bill Daly while he’s here at the Board of Governors meeting.
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And the other point to make here is that, as Andlauer said, you know, they had to, him and GM Steve Staois, they had to go to Brady Tkahuck again when all this happened, to clarify with him and to make him rest assured that, no, this is not you. We’re not talking to the New York Rangers or any other team about you. And that’s the unsettling part, from Andlauer’s perspective, about having this 25-year-old captain have to worry about that.”
Johnston: “And do you know what’s hard here? To get formal complaints they have to have proof, right? You have to have something in an email or digital form. I don’t think people are that dumb in this league. We’re all in the gossip business. We talk the agents, talk the GMs, talk the owners talk and so …”
Reda: “But CJ, that’s why, I know, but this is why we’re talking about suggesting that might be soft tampering. Because no one is suggesting that anybody’s out there talking directly to Brady Tkachuk. There was no implication of that whatsoever.
But if a team makes it known publicly that they’re interested in a certain player, then that kind of crosses the line,”
LeBrun: “And let’s be clear. Larry Brooks, we all know him. He’s a colleague. He’s a hockey Hall of Fame journalist. There’s no question in my mind that his information is he was told that the Rangers are targeting Brady Tkachuk.”
Dreger: “He got it from somewhere.”
LeBrun: “For sure that’s probably true from the Rangers perspective, but the Senators are upset because they clearly view this as an end around to get Brady Tkachuk’s attention.”
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Dreger: “I’m still confused by the term, soft tampering. I mean, can you just sort of cheat. You’re either tampering or you’re not tampering, soft tampering or otherwise.”
Reda: “Listen, the discussion we’re having here is already getting a little feisty. Could you imagine what’s going to happen behind closed doors, when this topic is brought up with the rest of the Board of Governors?”
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