New Florida Panthers winger Brady Tkachuk commented on the difficulty of leaving the Ottawa Senators, but despite that, Thomas Chabot had harsh words for his teammate of eight years.
The NHL-NHLPA North American Player Media Tour in Vegas is underway, with all 32 NHL teams sending at least one representative to participate in interviews, photo shoots, and social media videos.
Among the representatives are Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov and a newcomer, Brady Tkachuk.
Tkachuk has been in the spotlight since he entered the NHL. Drafted fourth overall by the Ottawa Senators in 2018, Tkachuk was chosen to lead the franchise to glory, as he was named captain in 2021. But as the Senators continued to falter, the noise grew louder. In the end, Tkachuk was dealt to the Panthers in the 2026 off-season, ending an era that Tkachuk and Ottawa fans are disappointed about.
Although he has moved on, Tkachuk acknowledged that the decision wasn't easy.
"There's also a lot of information and narratives out there that aren't completely true," Tkachuk said at the 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."
Tkachuk might feel that way, but not all of his former Senators teammates do. Throughout the summer, several Senators have been asked to comment on Tkachuk's departure, but Thomas Chabot, a candidate to replace Tkachuk as the Senators' captain, recently had harsh words.
“You want guys to be here. You want guys to want to be part of this team and city," defenseman 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.”
Tkachuk's exit from Ottawa carried plenty of criticism. Some were unhappy with his decisions after winning the Olympics with Team USA; others disliked comments made on his podcast, and others believed he had given up on the team.
Nonetheless, the Panthers and Senators will compete in a highly competitive Atlantic Division where every point matters. The Panthers and Senators can't focus too much on this situation, but it hasn't stopped the question of how fans may perceive Tkachuk when he returns to the Canadian Tire Centre on Oct. 21.
"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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