Brady Tkachuk Has Been Traded To The Florida Panthers To Play With His Brother Matthew
The Ottawa Senators traded their captain on a Sunday evening. Brady Tkachuk, 26 years old, eight seasons in Ottawa, 213 goals as a Senator, the most physical and relentless power forward of his generation, is now a Florida Panther.
He will play alongside his brother Matthew for the first time as a professional.
Their father Keith, a Panther regular at Amerant Bank Arena who maintains a home in South Florida, will be able to watch both of his sons play on the same team.
The trade confirmed by both clubs on Sunday evening sends the Senators two first-round picks in this week's draft, the ninth overall and the 25th overall, plus a 2029 first-round pick that is top-10 protected and a 2030 second-round pick.
Four picks, including two in the top 25 of this year's draft, for the franchise player Ottawa built its identity around since he arrived as the fourth overall selection in 2018.
"This was not a decision we took lightly," Ottawa general manager Steve Staios said, "but ultimately we did what we felt was best for the long-term future of our hockey club. We now possess cap space and draft capital and will be actively working to improve our roster."
The decision was forced on Ottawa by a familiar combination of factors, a player who had not committed to a long-term extension, a no-trade clause that gave him the power to choose his destination and a preference for Florida that the Senators read clearly enough to act before the situation deteriorated further.
Brady had two years remaining on his deal at $8.2 million per year.
He provided a list of four acceptable destinations, the Panthers, the Carolina Hurricanes, the Minnesota Wild and the Vegas Golden Knights.
Florida was first on that list in every meaningful sense.
How Sunday Came Together
The Panthers came into Sunday carrying enough draft capital to pull off this kind of deal because of a preliminary move made earlier in the day.
Bill Zito traded young forward Mackie Samoskevich to the Seattle Kraken in exchange for the 25th overall pick in the 2026 draft and a conditional 2027 second-round pick.
That transaction transformed Florida's position, the team that had won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2024 and 2025 and then missed the playoffs in 2025-26 at 40-38 was suddenly sitting on two first-round selections and two second-round picks heading into this week's draft.
With that capital assembled, Zito called Ottawa and made the trade that consumed the better part of those resources.
The 9th and 25th picks in 2026 give Ottawa two premium assets immediately.
The 2029 first-rounder, protected in the top 10, meaning Ottawa receives it unless the Panthers are a lottery team, extends the return into the next decade.
The 2030 second is the fourth piece of a package that Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman confirmed Sunday evening.
It is a significant return. It is not an overwhelming return. But Brady Tkachuk held the leverage here in a way that suppressed what Ottawa could extract, he had a no-trade clause, a clear preference for Florida and a situation in which the Senators were trading from weakness rather than strength.
The Brothers And What This Means
The Tkachuk family has been a Florida Panthers family in every meaningful sense since July 2022, when Bill Zito sent a historically large package to Calgary, Matthew Tkachuk, Mackie Samoskevich, a first-round pick, a conditional first-round pick and a second-round pick, to acquire Matthew.
That trade appeared audacious at the time. It has since been validated completely, Matthew led the Panthers to three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals appearances in his first three seasons, winning back-to-back championships in 2024 and 2025.
Brady and Matthew have grown closer through their international experiences together.
They played alongside each other on Team USA at the Four Nations Face-Off in February 2025, finishing second when Canada defeated the Americans in the final.
They won together at the Milan-Cortina Olympics in February 2026, the United States defeating Canada for the gold medal in men's hockey, the first American men's Olympic gold since the Miracle on Ice at Lake Placid in 1980.
Brady scored three goals in six games at those Olympics. The brothers launched a podcast together last season. The professional reunion has been coming.
"Brady is a dynamic competitor and one of the most physical and relentless forwards in the league," Zito said Sunday. "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."
The Panthers' roster after Sunday's trade is remarkable. Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart anchor a forward group that now includes both Tkachuks alongside Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe and Anton Lundell. Seth Jones and Gus Forsling lead a defense that includes Aaron Ekblad.
The team that missed the playoffs this year with that core, hobbled by injuries throughout the season, adds one of the ten best forwards in the NHL and believes its window is still fully open.
What Ottawa Does Now
For Ottawa, the trade ends an era that will be defined by what Brady Tkachuk meant to the franchise and what the franchise could never quite build around him.
He arrived in 2018 and immediately became the Senators' best player, most physical presence and most authentic leader. He was named captain.
He signed a seven-year extension. He led the team back to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, 2024-25 and 2025-26, after they had missed the postseason for seven consecutive years. They lost in the first round both times.
The conversations about his long-term commitment produced enough uncertainty that Ottawa decided to sell before his leverage disappeared and his contract ran out.
The Senators now have three first-round picks in the next three drafts, the 9th and 25th in 2026 and a 2029 pick, alongside whatever other capital they can accumulate.
The rebuild that Brady Tkachuk's presence papered over is now explicit.
The 2026 NHL Draft is this Friday in Las Vegas. Ottawa has three first-round picks in it.