Brady Tkachuk and Steve Staios both had time to take a step back before they looked ahead.
And we’re led to believe the Ottawa Senators’ captain, along with the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager, may have taken the opportunity to do just that.
Tkachuk stated on The Wingmen Podcast, which he co-hosts with his brother, Matthew, on Friday that he’d sit down with Staios in the “next couple of days” to hold his exit meeting and look ahead to next year.
The Ottawa Citizen believes the duo scheduled that meeting on Monday to share their thoughts on what happened during the season, the playoffs and what management is looking to change next season.
The duo never got a chance to get together after the Senators were eliminated from the National Hockey League playoffs in four straight games by the Carolina Hurricanes with a 4-2 loss at the Canadian Tire Centre on April 25.
That’s because, 90 minutes after the game, Tkachuk was on a flight back to his home in New Jersey to be with his wife, Emma, for the birth of their second child, which took place 14 hours later.
By the time Tkachuk returned to Ottawa to speak with head coach Travis Green and the media three days after the loss, Staios had already left for Slovakia to scout the IIHF U18 world championships.
Tkachuk is still bothered by the club’s early exit.
“It was a tough end to the year and not how we wanted it to go,” Tkachuk said on the podcast. “I’m still having a tough time wrapping my head around it, and let’s be honest, a little rattled about it.
“That one will be a tough one to get past, but at the end of the day, we’ll be a lot better because of it.”
The meeting gave Tkachuk and Staios a chance to take a look back, but more importantly, study the changes that will take place in the off-season to help get the Senators to the next level.
This session was likely nothing close to the summit, which is about to take place between Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews and the new management team of John Chayka and former captain Mats Sundin.
Tkachuk has shut down any talk about his future with Ottawa. He has two years left on his deal with the Senators, and the expectation is that unless he wants to broach the subject with Staios, then it’s something that won’t be discussed.
Steve Staios, president of hockey operations and general manager for the Ottawa Senators, speaks to the media.
Staios has been steadfast that he doesn’t want to trade Tkachuk; the club wants to make the roster around him better.
“It’s nonsense is what it is,” Staios said of speculation regarding Tkachuk on April 27. “I don’t read it. I don’t bother with it. We know what we have internally. We have great communication with our players, so we really don’t focus on it.
“I mean, this comes up very often. There’s nothing that we have talked about or thought about where that conversation should happen.”
This was an opportunity for Tkachuk and Staios to discuss first-hand what this club needs to compete for the Stanley Cup. The Senators put up a good fight against the Canes, but if you don’t already understand this, being good isn’t enough in the playoffs.
“I’ve believed ever since I’ve gotten here that, every year, we’ve taken steps,” Tkachuk said on April 30. “It’s just tough, honestly, just with how it went. We have so many great players on our team. I thought we showed in the regular season, especially, just how hard we are to play against, too, and how every single night we made life tough for every team we played against.
“A lot of it stings right now, and I know for me to be able to talk to Steve soon and get his thoughts and see where this team can improve. But it’s also the same thing for me, after having some time to think and see where we can improve, and that’s kind of the same for every team that doesn’t win, there’s always room to improve and get one step closer to it.”
The Senators have three needs heading into the off-season, and none of them are easy to fill.
The club has been chasing a legitimate goal scorer who can play with Tim Stutzle for two years. The Senators need to be bigger and harder to play against, particularly on the back end.
This season also confirmed the Senators need to have a solid backup behind Linus Ullmark who can be relied on to play about 30 games.
Now, Tkachuk and Staios can turn the page towards next season.
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