Florida Panthers forward Brady Tkachuk and a few of his former Ottawa Senators teammates spoke at the NHL-NHLPA North American Player Media Tour to discuss their whirlwind off-season.
LAS VEGAS — Brady Tkachuk said there was not some grand conspiracy that led him to requesting a trade from Ottawa to Florida this summer.
There was no peer pressure from Team USA players following the Olympics. No group chats. No anti-Canadian bias.
The decision to leave the Senators, where he was the captain, was far more simpler — and more businesslike.
With his brother Matthew already playing for the Panthers, Brady Tkachuk simply decided the time was right to join him. And so, two months after telling reporters that he was committed to the Senators, Tkachuk turned around and requested a trade that shocked the hockey world — along Senators fans and his former teammates.
"There's also a lot of information and narratives out there that aren't completely true," Tkachuk said at the NHL-NHLPA North American Player Media Tour on Tuesday. "A lot of time, a lot of reflection, and it wasn't an easy decision. It was a really, really hard decision, and something that was emotional. It took a lot of time to get to that.
"For me now, the decision is made and there’s a lot to be excited about in Florida with the team that we have."
As for the team he left behind, there is a sense of anger that the former captain abandoned his team just as the Senators were turning the corner and getting good. For the past two seasons, Ottawa qualified for the playoffs. With an up-and-coming roster, the feeling was that the team was ready to make the jump to Stanley Cup contenders.
That no longer seems to be case now that Tkachuk, who had been Ottawa's emotional leader and one of its best players, is gone.
“You want guys to be here. You want guys to want to be part of this team and city," defenseman Thomas Chabot told reporters in Ottawa on Tuesday. "When you see something like that - I’d be lying to say I was happy when he decided to leave … we felt like we’re on the verge of starting to make playoffs and building something.”
Jake Sanderson, who was also at the Player Media Tour in Las Vegas on Tuesday, echoed those sentiments.
"I'm not surprised that Brady would want to go play with his brother," said Sanderson. "I don't think anybody should be surprised, so I don't blame him for that. But absolutely I think we're a team that's getting a lot better and has a window here to win a Stanley Cup. That part of it is tough, for sure."
Meanwhile, the Panthers are expected to be back to being a top contender after missing the playoffs last year. That's the kind of impact that Tkachuk, who had 22 goals and 59 points last season, can make on a roster that is built similarly to the one that captured back-to-back championships in 2024 and 2025.
"It’s way better to have him on the same team than playing against you, for sure," said Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov. "Knowing how tough it always was to play against Brady. He’s one of the guys you always circle from the lineup, you need to be aware of him, Literally anything he does is dangerous.
"He can score, he can make you pay, he plays physical, aggressive and he has that skill, too. I’m really excited to have him on the same team."
As for how Senators fans will react to when their former captain makes his much-anticipated return on Oct. 21, it's something that Tkachuk said he really hasn't thought about.
"I don’t really have an expectation. I’m just going to be excited to be going back there," said Tkachuk. "I know how special that place is to me and it will be nice to see a lot of people I met in the community, my teammates, the staff, just be able to see them. It’s nice that it’s early on in the season, but there’s a lot of important games leading up to that.
"Whatever it is, it just shows how a great fan base it is. If it’s negative, it just shows how passionate the fans are and i enjoyed playing in front of them and how special it was. And if it’s positive, then I’m just really grateful for my time there. I’m not sure what to expect.
"I’m just excited to go back there and see a lot of people that I care about."
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