Less than two months. That's all the distance there was between Brady Tkachuk calling himself "fully committed" to the Ottawa Senators in April and the Sunday night in June when he became a Florida Panther. The deal, announced June 21, sent Ottawa's captain south for the No. 9 and No. 25 picks in the 2026 draft (the latter pried from Seattle only hours earlier in the Mackie Samoskevich trade), a top-10-protected 2029 first-rounder, and a 2027 second. He left with two years remaining on a seven-year, $57.5 million contract to chase a first Stanley Cup with brother Matthew.
Brady Tkachuk Departs
What does it say about how quickly this shifted that a captain who'd declared himself fully committed ended up with the exact division rival his brother already played for? Tkachuk's own words hinted at the struggle. Ottawa, he said, "will always have a piece of my heart." And: "It wasn't an easy decision." He added that it had taken him longer to reach than people assumed. By his introductory press conference, he was calling the Panthers probably the closest group in the league.
Steve Staios didn't blink. "I don't intend on taking a step back with this group," the GM said the next day, even as a return built on draft picks told a more complicated story. Tkachuk leaves with 463 points (213 goals, 250 assists) in 572 games, plus seven points in 10 playoff games. Anyone would struggle without that kind of firepower, and online betting sites have priced that into the Senators' playoff hopes ahead of next season.
The latest odds from Sportaza online sportsbook currently list Ottawa as a narrow even-money underdog to reach the postseason for a third straight year in 2026-27, with a playoff miss actually priced into the odds themselves. So, if the Senators are to keep their playoff streak alive, which players must step up in the absence of their former captain? Let's take a look.
Tim Stützle
Eighty-three points. That was last season's return from Ottawa's first-line centre: a team-high 34 goals and 49 assists, one shy of 50. Entering his prime and the fourth year of an eight-year, $66.8 million deal,
Tim Stützle's the obvious captaincy candidate, and he's already worn a letter on a big stage, serving as an alternate under Leon Draisaitl at Milano-Cortina and posting six points in five games for Germany. When Brad Marchand publicly laughed at the idea of him wearing the C, Stützle's response was flat and unbothered: "I don't care about his opinion."
Camp has him centring Andre Burakovsky and Drake Batherson, though he skated as an extra and sat out the preseason opener in Trois-Rivières. Then there's December, when Ottawa plays Chicago twice in Düsseldorf, a short drive from his hometown of Viersen.
The best case writes itself: 90-plus points and a captaincy that feels inevitable. The worst? Defences that no longer have to account for Tkachuk collapse on him, the production dips, and the leadership question hangs over the room all winter.
Linus Ullmark
Between the pipes, nothing has been simple. Linus Ullmark has 53 wins and a .900 save percentage across 93 games in Ottawa, respectable numbers that still sit well below his Boston form. Last season broke in half. Through 28 games, he was 14-8-5 with an .881, and on December 28, he took a leave of absence that he later revealed was about his mental health.
Ottawa finished 29th with an .878 team save percentage. After the Olympic break, though, the former Vezina winner went 12-4-3 with a .902.
Signed through 2029 at $8.25 million, he now has his longtime mentor, Maciej Szwoch, on staff as goaltending coordinator; Szwoch spent four days with him in Sweden before camp. The goalie who met reporters this month was laughing and joking.
Is there a cleaner illustration of how much pressure sits on one goaltender than a team that can survive losing its captain's goals but can't survive another half-season below .880? A .910-plus bounce-back changes everything. An early slump exposes backup Samuel Ersson, who managed just .870 in Philadelphia last season.
Jake Sanderson
If one player's trajectory now mirrors the franchise's, it's this one. Widely regarded as a top-10 defenceman and a captaincy candidate himself, Jake Sanderson is locked in through 2032 at $8.05 million.
His 2025-26 season brought a career-high 14 goals, 54 points in 67 games, and a team-leading 24:50 a night; he finished tenth in Norris voting and was a Lady Byng finalist, having already represented the United States at the Four Nations and the Olympics. Then came Game 3 against Carolina, and a Taylor Hall hit to the head. The concussion, his first, kept him out of Game 4, and Ottawa's season ended without him. He reported healthy to camp and has been paired with rookie Carter Yakemchuk.
The ceiling is a Norris finalist campaign with a letter stitched on his sweater. The floor is another injury-shortened year, or a defenceman stretched too thin at five-on-five.
William Eklund
Here's where the Tkachuk trade becomes tangible. Ottawa flipped the No. 9 pick to San Jose for William Eklund, the seventh overall selection in 2021, who arrives with 163 points in 252 games and 50-plus points in each of the past two seasons, including 53 last year. He's signed through 2028-29 at a $5.6 million cap hit.
Camp reunited him with his best friend and former Sharks linemate Fabian Zetterlund, who singled out his skating, his mobility with the puck, and his hockey IQ. His debut delivered instantly: a goal 89 seconds in, set up by Dylan Cozens. But can he really be judged fairly against the departing captain when he's never carried the burden of being anyone's replacement?
A 60-point breakout would justify the price. A slide toward the low 40s would reopen the whole conversation about what Ottawa got for Tkachuk.
Drake Batherson
Nobody in franchise history has been paid like this. Drake Batherson's eight-year extension, worth $86 million at a $10.75 million AAV through 2034-35, got done hours before the new CBA cut maximum terms to seven years; it carries a full no-move clause for four seasons and $30 million in signing bonuses. This season, he plays on his old $4.975 million deal.
The numbers explain the commitment. A fourth-round pick in 2017, he's played 470 games, sits tenth in franchise scoring with 364 points, and just posted 33 goals and 71 points, becoming only the second player in league history to raise his point total in seven straight seasons. He's already shown flashes with Eklund in preseason.
Thirty-five goals would validate everything. Regression would bring early, uncomfortable scrutiny of a contract that runs to age 37.
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