The Ottawa Senators are looking to turn the page on the Brady Tkachuk era.
After an eight-year run in the nation’s capital, including the last five seasons as captain, the Sens were forced to trade the talented American forward to the Florida Panthers in May.
The Sens’ hands were tied as Tkachuk indicated he would not re-sign with the organization at the conclusion of his seven-year, $57.56 million contract in 2028.
Tkachuk will now play with his brother Matthew on the Panthers as the Olympic champions look to bring a third Stanley Cup to Florida in the past four years.
In a conversation with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Senators owner Michael Andlauer acknowledged the decision to deal Tkachuk was largely out of their hands given the circumstances.
“Blood is thicker than water, and let’s just say that his father and his brother got in his kitchen,” Andlauer said. “Ultimately, the decision was made to go and play with his brother. It’s a decision that was out of our control to a certain degree. But you have to want to play for Ottawa. And right to the end, our fans were behind Brady — even after Team USA won gold. I have no doubt in my mind.”
The move comes at a time with the Senators on the rise, making the playoffs in back-to-back seasons after seven years of no playoff hockey.
Tkachuk scored 22 goals and 37 assists over 60 games in his last season with the Senators. He was unable to record a point in the playoffs as the Senators were swept by the eventual champion Carolina Hurricanes.
Tkachuk won gold with Team United States at the Winter Olympics in February.
Despite losing their captain, the Sens made a splash elsewhere by re-signing 28-year-old forward Drake Batherson to an eight-year extension featuring an average annual value of $10.75 million.
A native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Batherson is coming off a career season in 2025-26, scoring 33 goals and 38 assists over 79 games.
Andlauer says the Batherson extension confirms the Senators are committed to winning.
“We’ve created that culture, and the commitment that we made with Drake sends a strong signal to our fans and to our players that we want to win. I know our fans have had a tough history when you think of Erik Karlsson and Mark Stone (also being traded), and hopefully the Batherson signing sends a clear message,” explained Andlauer.
“Drake has been with the organization for nine years. Second-longest-serving Senator. He had a choice. Claude Giroux had a choice. He re-signed, as well. We have a really great core. The energy that I’ve experienced in this training camp, and I’ve seen it with our players, and the excitement, to me, is great news for our fans.”
Andlauer took over ownership of the Senators in September of 2023 and says the ultimate goal of bringing the Stanley Cup to Ottawa for the first time remans the same.
“Three years ago, when I became the caretaker of this hockey club — and I say that as a responsibility to our fans, who are ultimately the ones paying our players’ salaries — my commitment was to them and to bring a Stanley Cup to Ottawa,” Andlauer said. “That was my clear goal. It still is. In order to do that, you have to create an environment where there’s a culture where people care and are willing to work harder than their competition.
“When I look at our training camp, all our players were in Ottawa by Sept. 1. They didn’t have to be. Training camp didn’t start until two weeks later. To me, it’s telling about the culture that we’ve created.”
The Senators open the regular season in Toronto against the Maple Leafs on Oct. 3.
