After eight years in Ottawa, Brady Tkachuk decided he was ready for something new.
On Sunday, he was granted that wish with a trade to the Florida Panthers, where he’ll reunite with brother Matthew.
“There’s definitely a lot of different things that have happened throughout my time there (in Ottawa),” Tkachuk said at his introductory press conference on Tuesday in Florida.
“For me, I think it was just time for the next chapter. It wasn’t an easy decision, it was something that I took a little bit more time than what’s been out there to make that decision and it was a very hard decision.”
Senators general manager Steve Staios said Monday that Tkachuk, who has a no-trade clause, originally approached him about a week-and-a-half after the season with a four-team list of teams he’d be willing to go to before it was narrowed to just the Panthers.
“I think there’s a lot more things that go into it but for now I’m very thankful for what they’ve done for me and not just as a player, but moulded me into the player and person I am today, and that’s something I can carry into the future,” Tkachuk said.
He also put out an Instagram reel thanking the Senators for his eight years there earlier Tuesday.
“Thank you Michael Andlauer and Steve Staios, the whole management crew, every coach that I played for, the staff, teammates and the fan base, just want to say, thank you for those eight years,” Tkachuk said in an opening statement. “I came in as a 19-year-old and became a husband and father of two. It was very formative years of my life, so they always have a place in my heart.”
The Tkachuk brothers have never played together in the NHL, but they did team up to help Team USA earn silver at the 4 Nations Face-Off and capture gold at the Milano-Cortina Olympics.
Now, they’ll line up together in Panthers jerseys.
“I don’t think I ever thought it could be a reality until we got to the Olympics,” Brady said. “I think our only dream as a kid was to make it to the NHL and then for us to be lucky enough to make it, I don’t think we ever talked or considered about what it’d be like every day. Then, 4 Nations and Olympics and just seeing each other was the best part every day for three weeks and just being together.”
Beyond the family aspect, Brady said the Panthers enticed him as a winning organization.
“It’s known around the league, it’s probably the closest group in the league, everybody’s always doing stuff together, home and away. Their sole focus is winning, and that’s something I’m just excited to join into,” Tkachuk said.
The Panthers dealt three first-round picks and one second to the Senators in exchange for Tkachuk, who has two seasons left on a seven-year, $57.56-million deal he signed in October 2021.
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