Report: Tim Stutzle says Senators have to ‘move on’ without Brady Tkachuk

Despite losing their captain this off-season, Tim Stutzle doesn't believe the Ottawa Senators are in line to take a step back in the standings.

Brady Tkachuk was traded to the Florida Panthers in June to play alongside his brother Matthew, leaving behind an up-and-coming Senators team for whom he had served as captain since 2021.

To Stutzle, though, it's water under the bridge and he remains focused on leading the Senators to the playoffs for the third consecutive year.

“It's his decision,” Stutzle said to NHL.com at the European Player Media Tour on Friday. “There's nothing we can do about it. For me, he was always a great teammate and, obviously, a great hockey player and we're going to miss him. He was always there for me. But at the end of the day, we’ve got to move on. We're going to miss him as a hockey player, as a person, and as a leader, but it is what it is.

“We're focused on what we have ahead of us and the team we have right now. So, wish him all the best.”

The German star added that he didn't know Tkachuk, who still had two years remaining on his contract, had requested a trade out of Ottawa, but said that those discussions aren't common among teammates.

“You don't really talk to your teammates about that," he said. "I love Ottawa and I want to be there for as long as I can. Maybe other people have different opinions. That's none of my business. I'm just trying to focus on what we have, the team we have. We have a great team. We have a bunch of great guys, so it's going to be fine.”

The Senators have finally begun to turn a corner on their rebuild, making the playoffs the past two seasons, but have yet to win a round.

General manager Steve Staios has doubled down on the core he has created in Ottawa — centred around Stutzle, Jake Sanderson, Dylan Cozens, Drake Batherson and Thomas Chabot — by adding some complementary pieces in the form of Andre Burakovsky and William Eklund.

“We're still a really young team, so I think everything is going to move up from here,” said Stutzle. “I think everybody who is there right now loves being in Ottawa, loves playing for the Sens. So I think that's the biggest key, and that's what we want.”

As for the leadership void left by Tkachuk's absence, Stutzle is confident that guys will step up.

"I think we always had great leaders in the room, so there's not one guy who has to be the guy. We have so many guys who lead the team well, where everybody has an open ear for anyone," said Stutzle. “So we're just focused on the team we have, and I think we built a really great culture, which we're really proud of.”

The Senators will face Tkachuk and the Panthers for the first time on Oct. 21.