OTTAWA — Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk did not hold back Saturday when asked to address the recent speculation about the team’s No. 1 goaltender Linus Ullmark — away on personal leave since late December — that prompted the team to release a media statement on Thursday.

“I don’t think anybody’s pretty happy about a narrative being spread like that,” Tkachuk said. “It’s OK for people to critique our on-ice performance. But when it gets into family, it’s pretty f—ing bulls—. It’s embarrassing that it got to the point that it did. And, yeah, I can tell you for free, I’m not happy about it one bit.

“It’s just not true. It’s a bulls— story.”

Tkachuk’s comments were the loudest from the Senators’ dressing room on Saturday morning, hours before the team’s home game against the Florida Panthers. On Thursday, online speculation about Ullmark and why he’s been absent from the team prompted Senators general manager and president of hockey operations Steve Staios to release a statement.

“Linus is away from our team for personal reasons, and he has the entire organization’s support. We asked that people respect his privacy, but clearly that request was not heard by the lowest forms of trolls and sick people who scour the internet,” Staios said. “We are disgusted that outside forces are attempting to disrupt our hockey club. This statement will put an end to the ridiculous speculation that spread online.”

Multiple players and head coach Travis Green appreciated Staios’ statement.

“I think it’s great what Steve did,” Green said.

“I really appreciate what Steve did there, standing up for the group,” forward Tim Stützle said. “What Linus is going through, there’s obviously been what’s been said on Twitter and everywhere on social media, is absolutely not true. We love him in this room.”

“There’s a reason why when a player takes a personal leave of absence for reasons that they have to work on themselves,” Senators forward David Perron said. “There’s a certain privacy that has to be respected, and it wasn’t respected. Especially when it’s over false rumors. So, it’s extremely disappointing.”

It remains unclear when Ullmark will return from his personal leave. The Senators are currently down to Leevi Meriläinen and Hunter Shepard on their active roster for goalies. But they recently signed goaltender James Reimer to a professional tryout contract with their American League affiliate in Belleville.