Brady Tkachuk just won a gold medal for the United States — and now some people think he should play there too.
With NHL rumor mill heating up in the final days before the trade deadline, Ottawa Senators fans are suddenly feeling nervous.
The Dallas Stars have emerged as the most frequently mentioned trade destination for the Senators captain even as every credible signal points to him staying put.
We’ll break down the source of the Tkachuk trade rumors and what NHL insiders have to say about a potential deal materializing.
Stars Linked to Tkachuk For Second Time
The Stars’ interest in Tkachuk suddenly has fans buzzing again.
A potential Jason Robertson for Tkachuk swap was recently proposed on the Spittin Chicklets podcast.
“There’s been talks about moving Robertson for it seems like two years now,” said former NHL defenseman Keith Yandle. “Why not do it now and then you can get a guy like Brady.”
“I think it’s inevitable that Brady Tkachuk ends up in the United States,” replied Paul Bissonnette.
Yands is feeling a BIG TIME trade looming over the Trade Deadline… Jason Robertson for Brady Tkachuk 👀 pic.twitter.com/LEBqdByr1p
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) March 3, 2026
While the hosts were skeptical that a deal could get done at the deadline, the talks of Tkachuk joining the Stars isn’t new.
Back in September 2025, NHL insider Jeff Marek ignited the conversation on his podcast The Sheet with Jeff Marek, singling out Dallas as the franchise that would go to extraordinary lengths to land the physical left winger if he ever became available.
“I think that if ever — Ottawa Senators fans, I don’t think this is happening right now, so just everybody calm down — but if Brady Tkachuk was ever available, I know there’s always noise about the Rangers. Dallas is the team,” Marek said. “I think they move heaven and earth for someone like Brady Tkachuk. These types of players is what Dallas is looking for.”
Marek’s commentary tied directly to Dallas GM Jim Nill’s long-standing desire for a gritty, high-impact power forward in the mold of Florida Panthers star Sam Bennett. Tkachuk, a two-way winger who combines elite physicality with consistent offensive production, fits that profile as well as anyone in the league.
Marek wasn’t done there.
Heading into the 2026 trade deadline, he reinforced the Stars’ aggressive posture league-wide. “I really get the feeling that if there’s a GM out there poised to take a massive swing, it’s probably the Dallas Stars and Jim Nill,” he said on the Daily Faceoff. “Every year they’re pushing their chips in. Time is now. Window is open.”
Why Trade Rumors Have Intensified
The speculation found new oxygen following the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, where Tkachuk led Team USA to gold with a 2-1 overtime win over Canada. The celebratory aftermath, set against a politically charged backdrop of U.S.-Canada tensions, spilled uncomfortably into both players’ home markets.
When Tkachuk and Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews returned to their respective Canadian cities, both were greeted with mixed receptions during Olympic tribute videos. The atmosphere prompted fresh questions about whether either player might eventually seek a change of scenery.
TSN analyst Jeff O’Neill went so far as to suggest he wouldn’t be shocked to see both request trades as early as this offseason. “It would not shock me if both of them said, ‘Thanks but no thanks. Maybe it’s time to move on,'” O’Neill said. “Auston Matthews has been here for 10 years. What’s Brady Tkachuk — seven or eight years in Ottawa? It wouldn’t shock me if both of them said, ‘Check please.'”
Friedman Shuts It Down Potential Deal
Despite the mounting noise, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman threw cold water on any notion of a Tkachuk trade in no uncertain terms on NHL on TNT.
“Zero and zero on those two,” Friedman said, referring to both Tkachuk and Matthews when asked about their respective trade odds. “He’s the captain of the Senators. He’s a great captain for the Senators. He’s not going anywhere.”
Tkachuk himself has echoed that sentiment with equal conviction. “That’s not even something that’s crossed my mind,” he said when asked whether recent events had caused him to rethink his future in Ottawa. “I love playing for this team, I love the guys in this room, I really believe in what we’re all about, and that thought has never crossed my mind.”
What’s Next For Tkachuk?
Daily Faceoff analyst Matt Larkin has placed Tkachuk on his trade board under the label of “big names, blockbuster potential, but too soon” — a fair summation of where things actually are.
Tkachuk, 26, is in year five of the seven-year, $57,564,958 extension he signed with the Senators in 2021, carrying an $8.2 million cap hit through 2028. He will become eligible to sign an extension on July 1, 2027, and what unfolds between now and then will be the real story to follow.
The Dallas Stars, with Jim Nill’s well-documented appetite for exactly Tkachuk’s brand of hockey, are the team to watch if that ever changes — but the operative word, for now, is if.
Tkachuk may be firmly in Ottawa for now, but one misstep by the Senators next season could send the NHL trade chatter into overdrive — and the Stars will be waiting.
