Brady Tkachuk was officially introduced by the Florida Panthers on Tuesday. During the press conference, Tkachuk made remarks suggesting that the process leading up to his trade took longer than Ottawa Senators general manager Steve Staios had initially claimed. As a result, Senators fans are furious over Tkachuk’s comments, with many believing his version of events contradicts what Staios said just one day earlier.
“What a leader… not,” one angry fan wrote on social media.
The Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators pulled off a true blockbuster trade on Sunday. As part of the deal, Brady Tkachuk, who had served as the Senators’ captain for the past five seasons, was traded to the Panthers. There, he gets to play with his brother, Matthew Tkachuk.
READ MORE: NHL insider goes off following Brady Tkachuk trade
Traded for William Eklund
In exchange, Ottawa received the ninth and 25th overall picks in the 2026 NHL Draft, as well as a second-round pick in 2027. On top of that, the Senators will receive a top-10 protected first-round pick in 2029. Since then, however, Ottawa has already traded the ninth overall pick to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for William Eklund, Kasper Halttunen, and Brandon Svoboda. As a result, the Senators have already begun turning their newly acquired assets into NHL-ready talent.
Brady Tkachuk press conference
Following the blockbuster trade, Brady Tkachuk was officially introduced by the Florida Panthers on Tuesday. During the press conference, meanwhile, much of the attention focused on his departure from Ottawa. In turn, Tkachuk was asked to address the decision and the events leading up to it.
“A lot of different things have happened throughout my time there. For me, it was just time for the next chapter. It wasn’t an easy decision. It was something that took a little bit more time than what’s been out there, to make that decision. There’s a lot more things that go into it. But for me now, I’m very thankful for what they’ve done for me, not just as a player. They molded me into the human that I am today,” Tkachuk said at the press conference.
However, fans are outraged over his comments. On Monday, Senators general manager Steve Staios said that Brady Tkachuk asked to be traded 10 days after the team’s season ended. Some fans believe Tkachuk’s comments contradict Staios’ timeline and have accused either Tkachuk or the organization of not being fully transparent about how the trade process unfolded.
READ MORE: NHL insider says Brady Tkachuk became a locker-room distraction
Fans are outraged
“Brady, my big question you didn’t answer is why don’t you just shut your mouth and leave,” one fan wrote on X.
“These captains requesting trades are the liars. Look at the interviews from Brady and Larkin two months ago. Complete 180 from the stuff they’re saying today. These guys have no integrity, and that’s a big reason why they were shitty captains,” another fan wrote.
“Personally, I am glad this lying POS is no longer in Ottawa. The silence of his teammates says it all. Move on, fans. Let this story die as memories of ‘what’s his name’ die,” a third fan wrote.
You can watch the video below.
READ MORE: Chris Pronger’s honest take on the Brady Tkachuk trade
