When the Ottawa Senators acquired Josh Norris from the San Jose Sharks in the 2018 Erik Karlsson trade, one of the first things GM Pierre Dorion shared with the media was that Norris was Brady Tkachuk's best friend.

Seven years later, after Norris was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in a package deal for Dylan Cozens, Tkachuk is losing his best friend, at least as a teammate. The captain spoke to the media today, fighting off tears as he fielded questions from the media about the deal.

Q: A tough day emotionally?

"Yeah, it's pretty tough, so… Yeah, and I don't want to… Yeah, it sucks losing a guy like that. Obviously, everybody knows how much he means to me so... Yeah, next question."

Q: Have you had a chance to talk to him?

" Yeah, no. Just spent the last little bit with him and... (I'll try to) take advantage of every minute the rest of the day."

Q: Why is it so emotional? Is it because you played with him for so long?

"Yeah, I mean just... just our history. Yeah, sorry, I'm just going to keep it short and sweet."

Q: When did you hear this was going to happen?

"Yeah, right before practice. I think that's why we all went on a little bit later. But yeah, tough practice today."

Q: Travis Green says that of all the players, he felt like you probably are the best suited for this, given your history, given that you know that this is part of the game. How do you reflect on that big picture of just the Senators trying to make this team better?

"Yeah, it's the unfortunate reality of it being a business. We're going to get back important pieces that are really going to help us. Yeah, I mean, it sucks. It's part of it. Now with Cuzzy and Gilbert, we're going to welcome them with open arms. Yeah, I almost feel bad a little bit that this is the initial reaction. And of course, I think they're going to understand why it's a little bit of a whirlwind for me personally.

"But with that being said, it's all about being a good captain, being a good teammate, making sure that they have everything that they need and have the support right from day one. They know they're going to be important pieces to our team.

"And yeah, I'll just leave it at that."

By Steve Warne
@SteveWarneMedia

This article is from The Hockey News Ottawa. For more Sens coverage all season long, be sure to bookmark THN Ottawa