Brady Tkachuk will play alongside his brother, Matthew Tkachuk, with the Florida Panthers following a blockbuster trade on Sunday. Now, NHL insider Renaud Lavoie has news. He claims that the Ottawa Senators’ locker room did not push for the team to keep Tkachuk.
After eight seasons, five of them as team captain, Brady Tkachuk is leaving the Ottawa Senators. Instead, he will get the chance to play with his older brother Matthew. On a team that is only one season removed from back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.
READ MORE: The Tkachuk brothers’ honest take on the Staal brothers
Brady Tkachyk trade details
In return, the Senators received the ninth and 25th overall picks in the 2026 NHL Draft. As well as a second-round pick in 2027. Ottawa also acquired a top-10 protected first-round pick in 2029.
“Brady is a dynamic competitor and one of the most physical and relentless forwards in the league. 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,” Panthers president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito said in a statement announcing the blockbuster deal.
A locker room issue
For the Ottawa Senators, this was a trade made with the future in mind. But there are also reports suggesting that the current Senators locker room had grown tired of the speculation surrounding their captain’s future. And did not push for Ottawa to keep Brady Tkachuk.
“Since Brady had a full no-move clause, the Senators ultimately had two choices: hold or make the best deal they could. They chose the latter — really their only option. The debate around Tkachuk’s future was a never-ending annoyance in the market and in the dressing room,” NHL insider Elliotte Friedman claimed.
“Brady Tkachuk trade is a total bomb, but I’m told pressure was high on the Senators to make it happen. Told by multiple sources the dressing room was not pushing for Brady to stay. That being said, it’s still a gamble to trade him within the same division,” insider Renaud Lavoie wrote on X.
READ MORE: Brady Tkachuk called out by fans after Panthers trade
