George Richards, FHN Publisher
The long-awaited Tkachuk reunion is upon us: On Sunday, the Florida Panthers pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Senators, acquiring Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk in a deal that includes a bunch of draft picks.
Brady Tkachuk, for those not in the know, is the younger brother of Panthers star forward Matthew.
There had always been talk that the two would love to play on the same team, something that was finally realized with Team USA first last season at the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off and again at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Now, the two will be playing for the Panthers.
Earlier today, the Panthers traded Mackie Samoskevich to the Seattle Kraken for the 25th overall pick in this year’s NHL draft as well as a second next year.
The Panthers are sending both the ninth and 25th overall pick in the draft to Ottawa, as well as their first-round pick in 2029.
Per Pierre LeBrun, who broke the trade, a second-round pick in 2027 is also going to the Sens.
No players from the Panthers are going back in the deal which has left many in Ottawa pretty upset with the haul.
Ottawa has made the playoffs the past two seasons, losing to the eventual Cup champion Hurricanes in Round 1 this year.
“Brady is a dynamic competitor and one of the most physical and relentless forwards in the league,” Bill Zito said in a statement.
“A proven leader and exactly the type of player we want in our locker room, he strives to make everyone around him better both on and off the ice. We’re thrilled to welcome Brady to South Florida to join our group as we continue our pursuit of championship hockey.”
Per Puck Pedia, the Panthers are down to about $7 million under the salary cap after the trade; Tkachuk has two seasons left on his current contract that has an average cap hit of $8.2 million which makes him the fourth-highest paid player on the team.
The Panthers now turn their focus to their goaltending position.
Florida is without a starter or backup with Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov becoming free agents on July 1 if they are not re-signed before.
Barring another trade, the Panthers are likely now looking for depth moves at forward and defense.
Rumors that Brady Tkachuk wanted out of Ottawa started churning after he returned from the Olympics and the visit to the White House.
According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Tkachuk and the Senators met after the season to talk about their captain’s future what with him having two years remaining on his contract.
As the offseason rolled on, Tkachuk gave Ottawa a list of four teams he would accept a trade to: The Panthers, Carolina, Minnesota, and Vegas.
In 2022, before the big trade to the Panthers, Matthew Tkachuk had one year left on his contract and reportedly told the Flames he would not re-sign long-term in Calgary. His list was three teams: the Panthers, his hometown St. Louis Blues, and the Hurricanes.
Like Matthew, Brady Tkachuk had a full no-trade clause which meant he had control over where he would be moved.
Brady Tkachuk cannot sign an extension with the Panthers until next summer when he would be going into the final year of his deal.
ON DECK: FLORIDA PANTHERS OFFSEASON
- NHL Draft (No picks in First Round, Six Overall): Friday-Saturday; KeyBank Center, Buffalo
- NHL Free Agency: Opens July 1
- Panthers Development Camp: Late June/Early July; IcePlex, Fort Lauderdale
- Panthers Rookie Camp/Tournament: Late August/Early Sept.; Site TBA
- Panthers Training Camp: Early/Mid September; Fort Lauderdale
- 2026-27 NHL Season Opens: Late September; Site, Opponent TBA