Brady Tkachuk is back in Ottawa Wednesday night and discussed his exit from the Senators with reporters ahead of puck drop.
When asked about when he changed his mind on his Senators’ future, the former captain avoided going deep into detail, but said it was his decision to plan not to extend his contract.
“There’s professional reasons, personal reasons why I wasn’t going to re-sign here. A lot of those things remain private between [general manager Steve Staios] and that’s going to remain private. It just happened to work out this way,” he said.
Tkachuk addressed Sens owner Michael Andlauer’s comment from last month where he implied his brother Matthew and his father Keith steered him away from the Senators and toward South Florida.
“I saw the quote, and I mean he’s entitled to his opinion. But I know for myself, it was 100 per cent my decision. [I’m a] big boy, I can make decisions for myself and my family. I don’t need to be influenced by other people to make decisions. So he’s entitled to his opinion,” Tkachuk said.
The 27-year-old was captain of the Senators from 2021 until this summer’s trade, that came after he informed the club he would not sign an extension when his current seven-year deal expired in 2028.
The Senators dealt him to the Panthers in exchange for the No. 9 and No. 25 overall picks in this year’s draft, as well as a conditional first-rounder in 2029 and a 2027 second. The Sens then flipped the No. 9 pick to the San Jose Sharks for a package headlined by 24-year-old forward William Eklund.
‘Blood, sweat and tears’ in Ottawa
Tkachuk said he hopes his time in Ottawa is remembered by the “blood, sweat and tears” he gave to the organization “every night.” He added that he expects it to be emotional when the tribute video plays Wednesday night and said that any hostile reaction he may face Wednesday won’t change how he feels about the city he was drafted by and played eight seasons in.
“I’ve had so many great memories here that I’ll have forever. I don’t know what the exact emotion is going to be, but I just know how thankful and appreciative I am for everything that’s happened the last eight years,” he said.
Tkachuk also said he arrived at the rink around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday morning – approximately 11 hours before puck drop – so he could catch up with friends and staff.
“To not rush any time, make sure, you know, really catch up with people,” he said.
Tkachuk, Stützle yet to speak since trade
Tkachuk also had dinner with several former teammates Tuesday night and picked up the tab.
One ex-teammate who was not in attendance however was Tim Stützle, who told reporters Wednesday he has not yet spoken to Tkachuk yet since he arrived in Ottawa. He said he preferred to keep the focus on the game and not on the return of his former teammate.
“I mean, obviously we played for a long time together. That’s not on my mind. I’m just trying to win a hockey game tonight and I hope the whole team feels the same way and we’re ready to go tonight,” Stützle said.
Tkachuk also said the game takes precedence at the end of the day as the Panthers aim to win their fourth straight game.
“All that decision stuff is in the past now. It’s about the next chapter, moving forward. But most importantly it’s about this big divisional game we have tonight.”
He’s off to a strong start so far with the Panthers, tallying four goals and 10 points in nine games so far this season.
Head coach Paul Maurice said he does not have a message for Tkachuk ahead of Wednesday’s game, saying the star forward is well equipped to handle the pre and post-game buzz as well as the action on the ice.
“I haven’t said anything to him. I want him to experience it without coaching. Just be yourself, and maybe we’ll talk about it after if we need to but most likely we won’t,” Maurice said.