By Jeff Morris
The face of the Ottawa Senators, and to some the heart and soul of the team, has been traded to the Florida Panthers.
Sens captain Brady Tkachuk was traded Sunday afternoon to Florida, where he will be teammates with his older brother Matthew.
There had been rumours after the Olympics that the Tkachuk brothers wished to play together after they were part of the USA Olympic gold medal team. There were also rumours swirling around Ottawa that Tkachuk did not want to live and play in Canada, as he wanted to raise his family in the United States.
While Tkachuk denied the rumours and speculations, where there was smoke, there was fire. The expectations were that if the Senators were to move Tkachuk, it would be leading up to next weekend’s NHL Draft in Buffalo.
“I just want to say thank you to everyone in the city,” Tkachuk said during a press conference from Florida on June 24. “Everybody welcomed me from day one, treated me like I was from there. Treated me like family. I’ll just never forget that.”
During an episode of The Wingman Podcast Tkachuk hosts which his brother Matthew, the outgoing Senator said he felt it was time to start a new chapter.
“There is definitely a lot of different things that have happened throughout my time there [in Ottawa] and, for me, I think it was just no time for the next chapter, and it wasn’t an easy decision, it was something that I took a little bit more time than what’s been out there to make that decision,” Tkachuk said during a separate interview.
“It was a very hard decision and there are a lot more things that go into it, but for me, very thankful for what they’ve done for me, and not just as a player, but moulded me into the human that I am today, and the person I am today, and that’s something I could carry into the future.”
A Westboro connection
For residents of Ottawa’s west end, Tkachuk’s departure will be felt beyond the walls of Canadian Tire Centre.
During his time in Ottawa, the Senators captain lived in Westboro and became a familiar face in the neighbourhood.
In 2022, he made headlines after stopping to play a game of street hockey with local children while on his way home from a Senators game. The impromptu game quickly went viral and helped cement Tkachuk’s reputation as one of the city’s most approachable athletes.
Over the years, he also took part in numerous community events and charitable initiatives, becoming one of the most recognizable sports figures in Ottawa.
What’s next for the Senators?
The Senators already had the 32nd overall pick in the draft. They will add the ninth and 25th picks from Florida, as well as a first round pick next year and second round pick the following year.
“This was not a decision we took lightly, but ultimately we did what we felt was best for the long-term future of our hockey club,” said Staios. “We now possess cap space and draft capital and will be actively working to improve our roster.”
A first-round pick (fourth overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft, Tkachuk played 572 games with the Senators. He scored 213 goals and recorded 250 assists for 463 points, in addition to spending 821 minutes in the penalty box. He also played in all 10 of Ottawa’s playoff games over the past two seasons.
It marks the third time in their history that the Senators have unloaded a star player for draft picks.
In 2001, they traded Alexei Yashin to the New York Islanders for Zdeno Chara and the second overall pick in the draft, which turned out to be Jason Spezza.
They also traded captain Erik Karlsson in a 2018 deal with the San Jose Sharks. The Sens received forwards Chris Tierney and Rudolf Balcers, defenseman Dylan DeMelo, prospect Josh Norris, and a first-round pick that turned out to be Tim Stützle.
Tkachuk missed 22 games due to injury last year. The Senators posted a 12-5-5 record during those games.