Brady Tkachuk joining brother following trade to Panthers by Senators

Brady Tkachuk is joining forces with his brother, Matthew, in South Florida.

Brady was traded to the Florida Panthers by the Ottawa Senators on Sunday for the No. 9 and No. 25 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, another first-round pick (conditional) in the 2029 NHL Draft and a second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. The No. 25 selection was acquired by the Panthers earlier Sunday as part of the deal with the Seattle Kraken for forward Mackie Samoskevich.

"It's probably the closest group in the League," Tkachuk said of the Panthers at his introductory press conference Tuesday. "It's just everybody's always doing stuff together. Everything's done by committee and everybody's a part of the puzzle. 

"Their sole focus is winning, and that's something I'm just excited to join and help out. ... I'm just really excited for this next chapter." 

Tkachuk had 59 points (22 goals, 37 assists) in 60 regular-season games with the Senators this season. He did not have a point in four Stanley Cup Playoff games, when Ottawa was swept by the Cup-champion Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference First Round.

The 26-year-old forward, who spent the past five seasons as Ottawa's captain, has two seasons remaining on a seven-year, $57.5 million contract ($8.214 million average annual value) he signed on Oct. 14, 2021.

"Anybody who follows the NHL, so much of that fit," Panthers general manager Bill Zito said. "Style of play, obviously, the relationship (with his brother), who he is as a person .... it's just a real positive fit.

"Every day you're sitting there playing fantasy hockey, trying to figure out ways to improve. We'll continue to do that. We're not done; we'll be very focused, very thorough evaluating each position moving forward."

Selected by the Senators with the No. 4 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, Tkachuk has 463 points (213 goals, 250 assists) in 572 regular-season games, and seven points (four goals, three assists) in 10 playoff games.

The trade comes less than two months after Tkachuk said he was "fully committed" to the Senators.

"(Ottawa) will always have a piece of my heart," Tkachuk said. "... I think there's definitely a lot of different things that have happened. For me, I think it was just time for the next chapter. It wasn't an easy decision; it was something that I took a little bit more time than what's been out there to make that decision. It was a very hard decision. 

"I think 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 but molding me into the human that I am today and the person that I am today. It's something that I can carry into the future."

Senators GM Steve Staios also labeled the talk of Tkachuk playing elsewhere next season as “nonsense” at the time.

But Monday, while speaking to reporters in Ottawa, he explained why the move was made.  

"What changed was a trade request," Staios said. "I think for me, I was always fully supportive and wanting to make it work long term. I think it became clear as the season went on that something was amiss, and that had changed, but up until that point I would have loved to have seen it through with Brady."

When asked if Tkachuk wanted out now or made it clear he would not re-sign with the Senators when his contract runs out after the 2027-28 season, Staios said, "You would have to ask Brady."

Despite that, Tkachuk will team up with his brother for the first time in the NHL next season.

“This was not a decision we took lightly, but ultimately we did what we felt was best for the long-term future of our hockey club,” Staios said. “We now possess cap space and draft capital and will be actively working to improve our roster.”

Matthew has played the past four seasons with the Panthers since being acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Calgary Flames on July 22, 2022. In that deal, Florida sent Calgary forwards Jonathan Huberdeau and Cole Schwindt, defenseman MacKenzie Weegar and a conditional first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

Also as part of that trade, Matthew signed an eight-year contract that runs through the 2029-30 season.

The Panthers advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in each of his first three seasons with them, including winning back-to-back championships in 2024 and 2025. Florida (40-38-4) finished seventh in the Atlantic Division this season and missed the playoffs.

Selected by the Flames with the No. 6 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, Matthew has 670 points (253 goals, 417 assists) in 673 regular-season games with Calgary and Florida, and 84 points (32 goals, 52 assists) in 94 playoff games. Since being traded to the Panthers, the 28-year-old has 288 points (101 goals, 187 assists) in 242 regular-season games, and 69 points (25 goals, 44 assists) in 67 playoff games.

Although next season will be the first time the Tkachuk brothers play together in the NHL, it won't be the first time they've been on the same team.

Brady and Matthew played for Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February 2025, as well as the 2026 Winter Olympics this past February, when they helped the Americans win the gold medal for the first time since 1980. Brady had five points (three goals, two assists) in six Olympic games; Matthew had six assists in the six games.

"I think you can always dream about it; I don't even think we thought it could be a reality until the Olympics," Brady said. "I think our only dream as a kid was just to make it to the NHL. ... Seeing each other every day for three weeks was the best part, being together and our families being together.

"That was something that was really important, to have our kids grow up together and be close. It's something that's going to be really special for our family."

NHL.com senior writer Tom Gulitti contributed to this report