Coach Travis Green appears to fire a shot at Keith Tkachuk

With the ongoing drama surrounding the Ottawa Senators, the team has reportedly elected to protect its players from the media.

Goaltender Linus Ullmark has come under scrutiny in the media for bailing on the team when they need him most and captain Brady Tkachuk seemed to laugh off those assertions on his podcast with brother Matthew Tkachuk. Matthew and father Keith Tkachuk openly criticized goaltenders for taking time off with Keith outright making fun of Ullmark for not dressing when the Senators needed him the most. Brady laughed off those comments and neglected to defend his goalie... that sounds normal, right?

Today, when reporters asked to speak to Ullmark and Tkachuk they were denied.

Make of that what you will...

Meanwhile, Sens head coach Travis Green was made available to the media and he was asked for his opinion on the brewing controversy. What's most interesting to me is that Green went out of his way to comment on Keith Tkachuk, presumably to take the heat off his own players.

“Haven't seen it (the podcast). I heard about it. I know Walt (Keith) really well. He's a friend. Played with him, known (him) a long time. I know he's outspoken.”

"Outspoken" is one of putting it...

Personally, I'd call him a "loud-mouth know-it-all", but hey... "outspoken" comes across as a little more professional.

Read below for our earlier report on this developing story, published by Hockey Feed staff writer Chris Gosselin.

Just when things seemed to settle down for the Ottawa Senators, goalie Linus Ullmark is once again at the center of controversy, and this time, it’s not coming from anonymous trolls online.

Earlier this season, Ullmark stepped away from the team to address his mental health, dealing with panic attacks. During that absence, things spiraled quickly on social media. Baseless and invasive rumors spread, dragging both Ullmark and his wife, Moa Wikman, into an ugly narrative involving alleged infidelity and supposed dressing room tension. Some reports even claimed Ullmark had shared private details about teammates, including whispers involving captain Brady Tkachuk.

The Senators shut it down hard. In a direct and unusually forceful statement, the organization called the rumors “fabricated and false,” condemning those spreading them as “trolls and sick people,” while reaffirming their full support for Ullmark during his leave.

When he returned weeks later, the noise faded. Ottawa regrouped and the team pushed forward, clawing its way into the playoff conversation.

But now, a new controversy has surfaced, and it’s hitting much closer to the ice.

Over the weekend, Ullmark did not dress for a crucial matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning. A game with serious playoff implications. The decision immediately raised eyebrows, but it was former NHLer Jeff O’Neill who lit the match. Speaking on OverDrive, O’Neill didn’t hold back and blasted Ullmark’s absence as “completely unacceptable,” questioning how a team’s number one goaltender could opt out of what he called the “biggest game of the year.” O’Neill emphasized that while Ullmark has faced real challenges this season, the timing simply doesn’t add up, especially with a battered blue line and a team fighting for its playoff life.

O’Neill’s message was blunt: when everyone else is grinding through injuries and pressure, your star goalie doesn’t get to say, “not tonight.”

Fair or not, the criticism has reignited questions about leadership, accountability, and timing inside Ottawa’s dressing room, while some fans are also wondering about Ullmark’s health.

However, things only got worse on Tuesday night, especially for Ullmark, whne he was pulled from the game against the Florida Panthers after allowing five goals on 16 shots. Perhaps there is something wrong with Ullmark, who didn’t even seem to care about his poor performance.

Now, with the playoffs within reach, the Senators now face a familiar problem: unwanted noise at the worst possible moment. Can they block it out again… or is this the distraction that finally derails their season?