Brady Tkachuk Returns to Ottawa for First Time Since Trade to Florida

Brady Tkachuk faces his former team on Wednesday after recording six goals and 10 points through his first nine games with the Panthers.

Florida Panthers forward Brady Tkachuk faces the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for the first time since requesting a trade from the organization last spring. Tkachuk enters the Atlantic Division matchup with 10 points in nine games, including consecutive natural hat tricks in his two most recent outings. The former Senators captain departed the franchise as the fifth-leading scorer in team history, recording 463 points and 213 goals across 572 games.

General manager Steve Staios traded Tkachuk to Florida in June in exchange for two 2026 first-round draft picks, a conditional 2029 first-round pick, and a 2027 second-round selection. The move followed a request by Tkachuk, who waived a full no-movement clause on his seven-year, $57.5 million contract to join his brother, Matthew, on the Panthers roster.

Before the morning skate at Canadian Tire Centre, Tkachuk stated he would donate any of his former No. 7 Senators jerseys thrown onto the ice during the game to the local Boys and Girls club. Despite public comments regarding his loyalty following Ottawa's first-round playoff sweep by Carolina in April, Tkachuk cited private personal and professional reasons for his subsequent trade request. He arrived at the arena three hours early on Wednesday to visit with arena staff after dining with former teammates on Tuesday night.