FORT LAUDERDALE — The Florida Panthers pulled off one of the biggest trades of the NHL offseason Sunday, acquiring Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk in a deal that reunites him with older brother Matthew and gives the Panthers arguably the deepest forward group in the league.
The trade, first reported by Pierre LeBrun, sends the ninth and 25th overall picks in this year’s NHL Draft to Ottawa along with Florida’s first-round pick in 2029 and a second-round pick in 2027. No Panthers players are headed back to the Senators — a return that has drawn sharp criticism in Ottawa, Florida Hockey Now reported.
General manager Bill Zito framed the acquisition as a culture move as much as a roster upgrade. “Brady is a dynamic competitor and one of the most physical and relentless forwards in the league,” Zito said in a statement. “A proven leader and exactly the type of player we want in our locker room, he strives to make everyone around him better both on and off the ice. We’re thrilled to welcome Brady to South Florida to join our group as we continue our pursuit of championship hockey.”
The Panthers engineered the deal in two steps. Earlier Sunday, Florida traded forward Mackie Samoskevich to the Seattle Kraken for the 25th overall pick in this year’s draft and a second-round pick next year. That 25th pick was then packaged with the Panthers’ own ninth overall selection and shipped to Ottawa as part of the Tkachuk haul.
Brady Tkachuk, who plays left wing, has two seasons remaining on a contract carrying an average cap hit of $8.2 million, making him the fourth-highest paid player on the Panthers’ roster. Per Puck Pedia, the trade leaves Florida with roughly $7 million in salary cap space. Tkachuk cannot sign an extension with the Panthers until next summer, when he would be entering the final year of his deal.
The reunion had been building for months. The Tkachuk brothers first played together with Team USA at the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off last season and again at the 2026 Winter Olympics. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Brady Tkachuk and the Senators met after the season to discuss his future, and Tkachuk subsequently gave Ottawa a list of four teams he would accept a trade to: the Panthers, Carolina, Minnesota, and Vegas. His full no-trade clause gave him complete control over his destination.
The path mirrors how Matthew Tkachuk arrived in South Florida four years ago. In 2022, Matthew had one year left on his contract and reportedly told the Calgary Flames he would not re-sign long-term. His list was three teams: the Panthers, his hometown St. Louis Blues, and the Hurricanes.
The projected lineup impact is immediate. Florida Hockey Now projects the Panthers’ top line of Sasha Barkov centering Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart will remain intact, with the second line featuring Sam Bennett at center flanked by Brady on the left and Matthew on the right. The third line of Anton Lundell centering Eetu Luostarinen and Brad Marchand also stays together, giving Florida a top-nine forward group that may be unmatched across the NHL.
Ottawa, which made the playoffs the past two seasons and lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Hurricanes in Round 1 this year, parts with its captain and one of its most physical forwards without receiving a roster player in return — a deal structure that has fueled frustration among Senators fans.
The Panthers still face a significant hole in net. Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov both become unrestricted free agents on July 1 if not re-signed before then, leaving Florida without a starter or backup. With roughly $7 million in cap space remaining, Zito is expected to pursue additional moves at goaltender and potentially depth additions on defense and at forward.
Florida also has its eye on the blue line. Defenseman Radko Gudas, a fan favorite during three seasons with the Panthers that included a run to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, is expected to become a free agent after completing a three-year, $12 million deal with the Anaheim Ducks. Gudas, 36, could compete for a spot in the Panthers’ top seven alongside the established pairings of Gus Forsling and Aaron Ekblad and Niko Mikkola and Seth Jones.
The NHL Draft runs Friday and Saturday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, where the Panthers hold no first-round picks after Sunday’s trades but retain six selections overall. Free agency opens July 1, with Panthers Development Camp scheduled for late June or early July at IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale and the 2026-27 season set to open in late September.