Something big is unfolding in the NHL involving Brady Tkachuk and insiders are starting to talk
Jeff Marek dropped a Sunday bombshell on the Dallas Stars, reporting GM Jim Nill would "move heaven and earth" to land Brady Tkachuk from Ottawa.
The timing is not subtle. Marek added that Jason Robertson is feeling sensitivity around his name and term, and pointed straight at Dallas getting "exposed as slow" against Minnesota in the playoffs.
That's the part that stings. The Stars went 50-20-12 in the regular season, rolled into April on a five-game win streak, and still got bumped out by the Wild in six games.
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The series ended on a 5-2 road loss. The road series win in Game 3 felt like the only stretch where Dallas dictated pace.
Robertson's regular season was loud. 45 goals, 96 points, plus-22, with 15 power play goals and a $7.75 million cap hit that's about to expire.
Then came the postseason. 8 points in 6 games, but a minus-2 rating and the visual of a top-six winger struggling to keep up in transition.
So Marek's reporting lands like a stick across the shins. The leak doesn't happen if Robertson's camp isn't already telegraphing concern about a long-term Dallas commitment.
Why Brady Tkachuk fits the speed problem Glen Gulutzan just inherited
Glen Gulutzan took the Dallas bench in July 2025. His first playoff run ended with the Stars getting outpaced by a Minnesota team that ranked 7th overall.
Tkachuk is the opposite of slow. He's heavy, he forechecks like a wrecking ball, and he's signed at $8.205 million through what Ottawa hoped would be a captain's contract for life.
The Senators just went 44-27-11 and finished the season on a 3-1 win over Toronto. Steve Staios isn't moving his captain to fix Dallas's middle six.
But this is how leverage stories start. One reporter says heaven and earth. The next one connects it to a star winger getting nervous about his next deal.
Mikko Rantanen is locked in at $12 million. Wyatt Johnston scored 45 goals on an $8.4 million ticket. Roope Hintz is at $8.45 million. The cap math gets ugly fast if Robertson stays AND Tkachuk arrives.
So something has to give. And Nill has built a reputation for not blinking. The question is whether Ottawa even picks up the phone.
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MAY 10, 2026
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