Brady Tkachuk Traded to Panthers to Join Brother Matthew, Senators Get NHL Draft Picks

It's a family affair in Florida.

The Panthers are landing Brady Tkachuk in a trade with the Ottawa Senators with three first-round picks and a second-round pick going back to the Sens in the deal.

It pairs Brady with his brother, Matthew, who is one of Florida's key players and a two-time Stanley Cup champion.

Ottawa general manager Steve Staios revealed on Tuesday that Tkachuk requested a trade:

Pierre LeBrun of TSN reported that a few other teams entered trade talks, but Florida ultimately prevailed:

There has been buzz about a potential Tkachuk trade for quite some time—despite Ottawa routinely denying those rumors—so Sunday's news didn't come as the biggest surprise.

Per Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, "Sources say Tkachuk had indicated to the Senators that he had no plans to resign after his contract expired, which is why Steve Staios, the club's president of hockey operations and general manager, decided to deal him to the Panthers."

Tkachuk will be a free agent following the 2027-28 season.

The 26-year-old remains a solid player, putting up 22 goals and 37 assists in 60 games during the 2025-26 campaign. And the Senators were a playoff team for the second straight season, though for the second straight season failed to advance out of the first round (this year's sweep against the eventual champion Carolina Hurricanes is a bit more palatable in hindsight).

The Panthers, meanwhile, should now be among the favorites in the Eastern Conference yet again after an injury-ravaged 2025-26 campaign.

"I think we all know... how good this hockey team is," Sam Bennett told reporters back in early April after the team was mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. "We know how good we're going to be when we have everyone healthy and everyone back. So, there's obviously a ton of excitement, I think, in anticipation for next year."

That excitement only grew on Sunday.