Thomas Chabot isn’t pretending Brady Tkachuk‘s departure from the Ottawa Senators didn’t sting.
Tkachuk requested a trade out of Ottawa this past offseason after 572 regular-season games, 213 goals, and 463 points with the franchise, ultimately landing with the Florida Panthers. The move reunited him with brother Matthew Tkachuk, giving the two a chance to play together in the NHL for the first time in their careers. Asked whether he felt slighted by his former captain’s decision, Chabot didn’t dodge the question.
“We always do,” Chabot said, per TSN’s Claire Hanna. “You want guys to be here. You want guys to want to be part of this team and city.”
Thomas Chabot on Brady Tkachuk
He didn’t stop there, either.
“When you see something like that – I’d be lying to say I was happy when he decided to leave,” Chabot said.
What made the timing especially tough for Chabot and the rest of the Senators is where the team felt it was heading. Ottawa had reached the playoffs in back-to-back seasons after years on the outside looking in.
“We felt like we’re on the verge of starting to make playoffs and building something,” Chabot said.
Ottawa didn’t walk away from the trade empty-handed – and it was quite a significant haul, too. The return included the No. 9 and No. 25 picks in the 2026 draft, a conditional first-rounder in 2029, and a second-rounder in 2027.
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The Senators quickly turned around and used part of that capital to acquire William Eklund from the San Jose Sharks, giving them another offensive option alongside Tim Stützle. Veterans like Andre Burakovsky and Nick Cousins round out a forward group now tasked with replacing Tkachuk’s production and physical edge without him.
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