What started out as a great Father's Day Sunday turned into a terrible day for Ottawa Senators fans.
Reports are confirming that the Senators have traded their captain Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers. In return, Ottawa is getting a package of draft picks, which includes the 9th and 25th picks in the 2026 NHL Draft. As well as the 1st round pick in 2029, and a 2030 2nd round pick.
Tkachuk joins his brother, Matthew in Florida
There was a growing sense that Tkachuk's future was uncertain at the end of the 2025-26 season. After Ottawa was eliminated from the playoffs, it really felt like the Senators' fans were fed up with how little he had to offer outside his fight with Jordan Staal.
The media and fan base, as well as the rest of the hockey world, were wondering what the future would hold. But it was all put to bed when Tkachuk had his end-of-season press conference and spoke about being committed to the Senators' organization.
However, now we have learned from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen that Tkachuk had informed the organization he had no plans on re-signing with the club after his contract was up in two years' time. So, the best option was to look for a trade.
Reports suggest that Ottawa talked with a few teams: the Carolina Hurricanes, Vegas Golden Knights, and Minnesota Wild. However, it was the Panthers that they settled on. Which gives Brady a chance to play alongside his brother Matthew and see if they can put together a bounce-back season after the one they just had.
As for Ottawa, now they look at what comes next. They now have three first-round picks, which they could look to flip at the Draft and potentially try to move into the top five. As well as even more cap space, where they can now decide to be aggressive and land one of the bigger fish on the market, like an Alex Tuch.
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