The Brady Tkachuk era with the Ottawa Senators, who selected him in the opening round of the 2018 NHL Draft and eventually made him their captain, came to a stunning end on Sunday.
He was traded by the Senators to the Florida Panthers, who happen to feature his brother Matthew Tkachuk. Matthew was acquired by the Panthers in a blockbuster 2022 trade from the Calgary Flames, and helped lead the Panthers to three straight appearances in the Stanley Cup Final, winning it all in 2024 and 2025.
While the injury-decimated Panthers missed the playoffs this season, the addition of Brady Tkachuk, plus being at full strength, puts them right back in the conversation of title contention.
In return for Tkachuk, the Senators received three first-round picks (the No. 9 and No. 25 selections in the 2026 NHL Draft, and a conditional 2029 first-round pick) and a 2027 second-round pick.
And so far, the reception to the deal amongst a large contingent of Senators fans hasn’t exactly been the most receptive, especially after Tkachuk said that he was committed to playing in Ottawa after they were eliminated from the playoffs in April.
Another Local Club Is Taking Shots At Former Ottawa Senators Captain Brady Tkachuk
In response to the blockbuster trade, the Ottawa Titans baseball club, who compete in the Frontier League as a member of the North Division in the Atlantic Conference, held a special promotion that poked fun at Tkachuk on his way out.
Fans are being offered a trade-in for if they bring their Brady Tkachuk jerseys and receive an AJ Wright Titans jersey instead.
The club wrote the following announcement on X, formerly known as Twitter:
“The No. 7 Ottawa deserves! 😤 We’re exchanging Brady Tkachuk jerseys for AJ Wright jerseys at our game on Tuesday, July 7th! 🔀”
Brady Tkachuk Has Broken His Silence Following The Trade To Florida
While speaking with Matthew on their “Wingmen” podcast, Brady indicated that it was Florida’s recent success that ultimately lured him to the Panthers rather than the chance to play alongside his brother.
“I made this decision taking you out of it. It wasn’t about you,” he said. “You know how much I love you, but every single time after playing you guys, I was like, ‘Holy cow, that team is incredible and they have a chance to win every single year.'”
Meanwhile, Matthew, who knows all about the pressure of playing for a Canadian-based team from his years in Calgary, believes the change in market will help Brady’s career.
“Life’s good. The team’s fun. No one is fighting to be the alpha,” Matthew said. “He had to wear a lot of hats playing up in Ottawa. Being a young captain, playing in Canada, just dealing with a lot of stuff, whether it’s in his control or not, which is unfortunate in the business. The best part of playing down here — and this might sound a little bit bad — but we’re just pieces of meat down here. You do one role. You wear one hat. You don’t have to do someone else’s job. It’s just a total group effort.”
Ottawa Team Takes Shots At Brady Tkachuk After Stunning Trade