The Ottawa Senators are trading captain Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers, the team announced on Sunday.
The Senators will receive the No. 9 and 25th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft as well as a top-10 protected first-round pick in 2029 and a second-round pick in 2030.
Tkachuk, 26, had 22 goals and 59 points in 60 games with the Senators last season. He did not record a point in four playoff games as the Senators were eliminated in the first round.
The 6-foot-4 winger is entering the sixth season of a seven-year, $57.5 million contract that carries an annual cap hit of $8.21 million. He is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2027-28 campaign.
“This was not a decision we took lightly, but ultimately we did what we felt was best for the long-term future of our hockey club,” said president of hockey operations and general manager Steve Staios in a statement. “We now possess cap space and draft capital and will be actively working to improve our roster.”
TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun added that the Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes, and Minnesota Wild were also on Tkachuk’s list of teams he would’ve be willing to join.
Drafted fourth overall by the Senators in 2018, Tkachuk has 213 goals and 463 points in 572 career games.
Tkachuk was named captain of the Senators during the 2021-22 campaign and helped snap an eight-year playoff drought in the 2024-25 campaign, losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs in six games in the first round.
The Scottsdale, Ariz., native represented the United States at The Winter Olympic Games this season, recording three goals and five points en route to a gold medal. He also represented his country at the 4 Nations Face-Off last season in a second-place finish.
Tkachuk represented the United States at the 2024 World Hockey Championship, recording seven goals and 13 points in a fifth-place finish.
