Ottawa Senators owner Michael Andlauer accused the New York Rangers of “soft tampering” with his team’s captain, Brady Tkachuk.
In a conversation with TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, Andlauer let the allegations fly after rumors penned by Larry Brooks of the New York Post emerged, divulging that the 25-year-old forward was the Rangers’ primary trade target.
“I can tell you that Michael Andlauer did not hold back his frustration and anger that that report was out there,” LeBrun said. “He called it ‘soft tampering’ twice… He’s upset because 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 trade rumors involving Brady Tkachuk and teams being interested in him.”
Andlauer went on to reveal to LeBrun that the Senators have not had any conversations with any teams around the NHL involving Tkachuk, who has 13 goals and 16 assists in 27 games this season.
New York has already been busy while mired in an alarming early-season slump. It traded captain and defenseman Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks for an underwhelming package. The most important thing for general manager Chris Drury, though, was to get the entirety of his contract off the books, which he was able to do.
Tampering has evolved into a sensitive and pressing issue in the NHL recently, especially during the start of free agency back in July, when players quickly signed with new teams once the transactional window opened.
The league sent a memo to remind them of potential punishments for tampering, such as fines or the docking of future draft picks. After Andlauer’s complaints, it could very well be put on the agenda for the league’s board of governors meeting, which will run from Monday through Tuesday.
