Brady Tkachuk Trolled By Senators Fans in Return After Panthers Trade in Trending Videos

Florida Panthers left wing Brady Tkachuck made his return to Ottawa, where he played the first eight seasons of his NHL career before being traded last June, on Wednesday evening.

Needless to say, Senators fans were ready and waiting for Tkachuk, who told Ottawa he would not re-sign at the end of his current deal, eventually leading to the trade that united him with his older brother, Matthew.

As one can imagine, the fans weren't happy when Tkachuk scored the game's first goal.

Tkachuk was a superstar in Ottawa, making the All-Star Game on four occasions and scoring 463 points (213 goals, 250 assists). The Senators also fared well in the past two seasons after missing the playoffs for seven straight campaigns, winning 89 combined games. Tkachuk, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2018 NHL draft, also served as the team's captain for the past five seasons.

The 27-year-old is playing on a seven-year, $57.5 million contract that runs through the 2027-28 season. However, he made it clear that he wasn't re-signing with Ottawa, leading to the trade.

The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun reported that four teams (the Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights, Minnesota Wild and Carolina Hurricanes) were on the list for Tkachuk, who has a no-movement clause.

"There's professional reasons, personal reasons why I wasn't going to re-sign here," Tkachuk told reporters on Wednesday, per TSN.

"A lot of those things remain private between [general manager Steve Staios] and that's going to remain private. It just happened to work out this way," he said.

He also denied Senators owner Michael Andlauer's implication from September that Keith Tkachuk (Brady's father and a former NHL star) and Matthew had involvement in the deal.

"I saw the quote, and I mean he's entitled to his opinion. But I know for myself, it was 100 per cent my decision. [I'm a] big boy, I can make decisions for myself and my family. I don't need to be influenced by other people to make decisions. So he's entitled to his opinion," Tkachuk said.

Both teams have now moved on, although it's clear Senator fans (understandably) have not.