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Brady Tkachuk's $8.2M cap hit makes him the Penguins' best summer target
Photo credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
Jeff O'Neill's Brady Tkachuk trade talk just lit up the Ottawa Senators, and the Pittsburgh Penguins should already be calling.
O'Neill said on TSN 1050 he wouldn't be shocked if Tkachuk basically said "check please," and that matters because the captain is not a short-term story.
Brady Tkachuk is 26, drafted in 2018, first round, fourth overall by Ottawa, and he's signed through 2027-28.
His cap hit sits around $8.2M, so this is a real roster-construction swing, not deadline window dressing.
On the ice, he's a net-front bully who manufactures offense off shots, screens, and rebounds, and that's exactly the kind of "easy goals" profile contenders pay through the nose for.
He has 18-28-46 in 2025-26, and that production is built on volume and chaos, not cute perimeter stuff.
"It wouldn't shock me if he said, 'Check please.'"
- Jeff O'Neill
- Jeff O'Neill
Ottawa can wait him out, but if the captain's patience cracks, the market turns into 31-team leverage.
The Penguins fit is obvious because Pittsburgh still wants a top-six winger who drags defenders into ugly areas.
Brady Tkachuk puts Pittsburgh Penguins cap math to the test
Pens fans would be thrilled, then instantly nervous about the prospect cost and the "one more run" pressure.
Pittsburgh's cap space is about $10.36M, so the hit can fit, but the ripple is the hard part.
If Ottawa retains, the ask spikes, and if they don't, Pittsburgh needs money out, period.
This is where Dubas earns his paycheck, because the cleanest Tkachuk deals move a roster player plus premium futures, not just picks.
The real tell this spring is Ottawa's urgency in games that matter, because the summer noise only gets louder when results stall.
If Tkachuk truly becomes available, Pittsburgh has to at least be in the room, because you don't often get a captain with term.
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Previously on HockeyUnplugged
| POLL | ||
MARS 17|144 ANSWERS Brady Tkachuk's $8.2M cap hit makes him the Penguins' best summer target Should teams go all-in for Brady Tkachuk this summer? | ||
| Yes | 59 | 41 % |
| No | 85 | 59 % |
| List of polls | ||