Brady Tkachuk has been traded to the Florida Panthers on Sunday as the Senators move on from their captain and put an end to any trade speculation.
Pierre LeBrun reported on Sunday that the Florida Panthers were in the works to trade for Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk for a hefty haul including three first-round draft picks:
Hearing that the Florida Panthers are getting close to acquiring Brady Tkachuk from the Ottawa Senators.
I believe Ottawa will get three first-round picks and a second-round pick in the deal if finalized. More to come.
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Panthers pulls off a stunning trade with the Senators to unite the Tkachuk Brothers in Florida
This unites Brady with his brother Matthew and cements the Panthers as one of the most dangerous teams in the league. The price the Panthers paid was heavy, being three first round picks and a second rounder, but for the chance to unite the Tkachuk Brothers ahead of a healthy and fresh roster was too good for Bill Zito to pass up.
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Those picks are going to be the 9th overall pick in 2026, the 25th overall pick in 2026, a 2029 first-round pick and a 2027 second-round pick.
Tkachuk had 59 points in 60 games for the Senators last season (22 goals, 37 assists) and won an Olympic gold medal with Team USA in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Together with his brother Matthew, the two have been a bit notorious for their behaviour and now Florida adds another brash and bold name to the mix which already includes Seth Jones, Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand, and Sam Bennett.
Florida decided last year was too disappointing so they went out and spent a fortune to make amends
Tkachuk is owed $8.2-million for the next two seasons and will be a UFA in 2028. There is no present word on an extension yet for the forward, but it's clear that the Panthers are focused on winning now and are stopping at no cost to make up for last year's disappointment.
It's the last thing the Maple Leafs wanted to hear that's for sure, especially knowing they are trying to be competitive, but now the Battle of Ontario is going to be missing arguably its biggest catalyst, so it'll be interesting to see who replaces Tkachuk in that role - if any.
But the fact the Panthers now have Tkachuk in the fold along with his brother, all those aforementioned players AND getting Aleksander Barkov back and ready to do damage? It's feeling like Florida has force trades on and can get away with whatever they want.
It's a staggering deal that will turn Ottawa into a half competitive-half rebuilding squad. They have stars but they also suddenly have a chance to rework their franchise with some pretty incredible talent and two firsts in this draft class is impressive work for the Sens.
Now we know why Sunday felt so oddly quiet...the Panthers were waiting to make a explosive deal just when we least expected it.
Do you think the Florida Panthers are cheating the system by acquiring too many superstars?
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Jake McCabe is getting lots of trade calls but there is only one package worth taking