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Former Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk says he made a very hard decision to move on to the next chapter of his life and career when he requested a trade from his longtime team.
The Senators and the Florida Panthers finalized the deal Sunday. Ottawa gets four draft picks in exchange for Tkachuk, 26, who joins his older brother Matthew on the Florida Panthers after eight seasons in Ottawa.
Brady appeared with Matthew on an episode of their Wingmen podcast posted Tuesday morning, then at a Florida Panthers news conference. CBC was not given an opportunity to ask questions, and the team provided a recording afterward.
The brothers then appeared on the popular The Pat McAfee Show.
Tkachuk said on the Wingmen podcast that he wanted to thank the city of Ottawa, current and former teammates and team leadership for believing in him.
“I had so many great memories in Ottawa. [It’s] such a special place to me, and now this new chapter — just so much excitement there,” he said from his brother’s house. He also noted that he got married and had two kids during his time in Ottawa.
Ottawa Senators president and general manager Steve Staios said Monday that Tkachuk requested a trade about 10 days after the end of the Senators’ season. Staios declined to say why.
According to that timeline, the request about a week after Tkachuk said he was tired of talking about trade rumours and that he was “fully committed” to the team and city.
During the news conference, Tkachuk was not asked directly about why he requested a trade, though he was asked about what changed after he reiterated his commitment to Ottawa.
“For me it was time for the next chapter. It wasn’t an easy decision,” he said.
Ottawa Senators president and general manager Steve Staios confirmed Monday that the team’s captain Brady Tkachuk asked to be traded, but did not reveal why. The Senators and the Florida Panthers finalized the deal Sunday. Ottawa will get four draft picks in exchange for Tkachuk, who will join his brother Matthew in Sunrise, Fla. David Fraser reports.
The Tkachuk brothers won gold for the U.S. at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, and also played together for their country at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
Brady said on the podcast that joining his brother in Florida didn’t factor into his decision as much as joining a great team, calling the Panthers a tough team to play against and because they’re focused on winning. The Panthers won the Stanley Cup in 2024 and 2025.
“It’s all about winning. There’s nothing about individuals or individual success. The sole focus in here is about excellence,” Brady said during the news conference.
“[Brady] had to wear a lot of hats playing up in Ottawa, being a young captain, playing in Canada, dealing with a lot of stuff whether it’s in his control or not,” Matthew Tkachuk told McAfee. “The best part about playing down here — and this might sound a little bit bad, but we’re really just like pieces of meat down here — you have your role, you wear one hat, you don’t have to do somebody else’s job, it’s a total group effort.”
Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk’s trade to the Florida Panthers before the end of his contract expired is part of a broader trend, sports analysts say, are seeing where of athletes are increasingly trying to dictate where they play.
Matthew later said on the Wingmen podcast that the two brothers always wanted to be on the same team and realized during the Olympics how great it was to play together. Brady told reporters he dreamt about playing with his brother but didn’t think about it actually happening until the Olympics
“We both have young families and they’re going to grow up together, so I mean that’s something that’s super special,” Brady said on the podcast.
It’s been a big week for the Tkachuk family: Their father Keith Tkachuk learned Monday that he’ll be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
WATCH | The Tkachuk podcast:
