FLORIDA — The Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators finalized a trade sending Brady Tkachuk to Florida. The Panthers sent four draft picks to the Senators in exchange for Tkachuk, including the No. 9 pick in the 2026 draft.

The draft picks included Tampa Bay's first-round pick in the 2026 draft, which Florida acquired by trading Mackie Samoskevich to Seattle. Other picks sent to Ottawa were the Panthers' second-round pick in 2027 and Florida's top 10-protected first-round pick in 2029.

Panthers hockey operations president and general manager Bill Zito commented on the acquisition. "Brady is a dynamic competitor and one of the most physical and relentless forwards in the league," Zito said. "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." Zito added, "We're thrilled to welcome Brady to South Florida to join our group as we continue our pursuit of championship hockey."

Brady Tkachuk is the brother of current Florida Panthers player Matthew Tkachuk. Matthew Tkachuk has played for the Florida Panthers for the last four seasons, reaching the Stanley Cup Final three times with them and winning two Stanley Cups. The Tkachuk brothers played together for USA Hockey at the 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025, where USA Hockey won the silver medal. They also played together for USA Hockey at the Milan Cortina Olympics in 2026, where USA Hockey won the gold medal, the first for the American men's Olympic hockey program since the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics. Their father is Keith Tkachuk, who has a home in Florida.

Brady Tkachuk spent his entire eight-year NHL career with the Ottawa Senators prior to this trade, having been acquired by Ottawa with the No. 4 pick in the 2018 draft. He became Ottawa's captain in October 2021 and served in that role for five seasons. He has two seasons remaining on a seven-year, $57.56 million contract signed in October 2021. During his tenure with the Senators, Tkachuk scored 213 goals and recorded 463 points. He also recorded 62 power-play goals, 2,202 shots, 1,921 hits, 28 winning goals, 30 multigoal games, and 821 penalty minutes.

Senators general manager Steve Staios addressed the trade. "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," Staios said. "We now possess cap space and draft capital and will be actively working to improve our roster." Florida Panthers equipment manager Teddy Richards had a role with the USA Hockey teams at the 4 Nations Face-Off and Milan Cortina Olympics, and Bill Zito also had a role within USA Hockey during the most recent Olympic cycle.