Future of Senators captain Brady Tkachuk and goalie Linus Ullmark among off-season question marks

Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk, seen during the third period of Game 4 on Saturday at the Canadian Tire Centre, has two years left on his contract with a cap hit of $8.2 million U.S. per season. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

Article content

The Ottawa Senators will gather for one last time on Monday at the Canadian Tire Centre to say farewell and to head into an off-season they never expected to start this quickly.

Article content

Swept out of the National Hockey League playoffs in four straight with a 4-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday at home, the Senators will face no shortage of questions about what the future holds for this roster after coming up short at an important time of year.

Article content

Article content

Article content

At the top of the list for Steve Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager, will be captain Brady Tkachuk.

Article content

Article content

Held pointless in four playoff games, Tkachuk, 26, has two years left on his contract with the Senators with a cap hit of $8.2 million U.S. per year.

Article content

He has a full no-movement clause, and after a frustrating four-game sweep against one of the NHL’s best teams, Tkachuk and the Senators have been left with more questions than answers.

Article content

Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk, seen during the third period of Game 4 on Saturday at the Canadian Tire Centre, has a full no-movement clause in his contract. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

Article content

“I mean, it’s kind of the same, just heartbreaking,” Tkachuk said on Saturday, fighting back tears. “You want to just win the Stanley Cup, and everyone believed that here, and for it to be this tight of a series and not go our way. Every game, it’s really tough.”

Article content

There were questions about his future in Ottawa heading into the playoffs, and he addressed that matter in an interview with Hockey Night in Canada’s Elliotte Friedman on the eve of the club’s first game of the series against the Hurricanes.

Article content

“People are always going to be talking about it. And for me, it’s important to know that it’s never come from my mouth. I don’t think it’s ever come from the team’s mouth,” Tkachuk said. “It’s just people have the right to their opinion and talk about what could be, or what might happen.

Article content

Article content

“My sole focus is winning the Stanley Cup, winning one here and giving absolutely everything I have to this team and the guys in the room.”

Article content

On Sunday, fans of the New York Rangers were already pining for the club to acquire Tkachuk on social media. Tkachuk and his wife, Emma, make their home in New Jersey, so he’s often linked to a trade to the New York area.

Article content

She is expecting the couple’s second child soon.

Article content

What happens next will be up to Tkachuk. The Senators will be able to talk contract with him next summer, but at some point a discussion will have to take place between him and Staios to determine if Tkachuk has any intention of staying here.

Article content

It was a disappointing end for the Ottawa Senators in Game 4 on Saturday at the Canadian Tire Centre. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

Article content

The fingers of blame are being pointed in a lot of directions right now, and Tkachuk isn’t the only one who didn’t get the job done in this playoff series.

Article content

Centre Tim Stutzle had one assist, along with forward Ridly Greig, while Claude Giroux, Shane Pinto, Warren Foegele, Fabian Zetterlund and Michael Amadio were among those held pointless.

Article content

Staios will have to determine if it’s time to move out a core piece of the roster or try to enhance the group by adding.