The Brady Tkachuk era with the Ottawa Senators is officially over, as the club made one of the offseason’s biggest moves by sending their longtime captain to the Florida Panthers, ending an eight-year run that saw him become the centerpiece of the franchise.
Meanwhile, former Senators fan favorite Chris Neil took a bit of a parting shot at Tkachuk, saying that he doesn’t foresee how the now-former Senators captain would fit into Florida’s top-six.
“It’s tough because Brady’s such a unique player,” Neil said on the “Coming In Hot” podcast. “He’s physical; he plays in your top six here. You know, in Florida, I don’t even know. They have such a good team there; is he even in the top six?”
“He might be in the top nine there.”
Former Ottawa Senators Captain Brady Tkachuk Is Now With The Florida Panthers
GettyThe Rangers would likely love to make Brady Tkachuk their new star.
Taken fourth overall in 2018, Tkachuk quickly established himself as one of Ottawa’s top players and eventually took over as captain.
Now, after 572 games and 463 points with the Senators, the 26-year-old is headed to Florida to join his brother Matthew Tkachuk, where they hope to return the Panthers back to the playoffs and in contention for a third Stanley Cup win in four years.
Brady has been on hand at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise for each of Florida’s last two Stanley Cup-clinching games over the Edmonton Oilers, but held true to the notorious superstition of hockey players that they cannot touch the Cup itself unless they’ve won it.
Brady has gotten a taste of Stanley Cup Playoff hockey in each of the last two seasons with the Senators, but they were eliminated in the opening round each time. First, Tkachuk and the Senators made life very uncomfortable for the rival Toronto Maple Leafs, stretching the series to six games.
However, it was a short stay in the postseason earlier this spring, as they would be eliminated in four straight games by the eventual Stanley Cup winning Carolina Hurricanes.
Can The Tkachuk Brothers Get The Panthers Back To The Playoffs?
The Panthers weren’t able to make a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final last season, as they were decimated by so many injuries to key players.
But with Brady Tkachuk in the fold, are the Panthers back to being bonafide Stanley Cup contenders?
So far in his NHL career, Tkachuk has scored 213 goals with 250 assists in 572 games played, while adding another four goals and three assists in 10 career playoff games.
Senators Fan Favorite Takes Shot At Brady Tkachuk