Cats acquire Ottawa’s captain and Olympic gold medalist
SUNRISE, Fla. – Florida Panthers President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Zito announced today that the club has acquired forward Brady Tkachuk from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for three first-round draft selections and one second-round selection.
Ottawa receives Florida’s 2026 first-round selection, Tampa Bay’s 2026 first-round selection (previously acquired from Seattle by Florida), Florida’s 2027 second-round selection, and Florida’s 2029 first-round selection, which is top-10 protected.
“Brady is a dynamic competitor and one of the most physical and relentless forwards in the league,” said Zito. “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. We’re thrilled to welcome Brady to South Florida to join our group as we continue our pursuit of championship hockey.”
Tkachuk, 26, skated in 60 games with the Senators in 2025-26, compiling 59 points (22-37-59), tied for third most on Ottawa while ranking second in points per game (.98). His 57.6 faceoff win percentage was the best of his career and his 162 hits also ranked third on the Senators.
The 6-foot-4, 226-pound native of Scottsdale, Ariz., has produced 463 points (213-250-463) over 572 career NHL games with the Senators from 2018-19 to 2025-26. He has served as Ottawa’s captain for each of the past five seasons. Tkachuk has reached 20 goals in seven of his eight total NHL campaigns, posting three straight seasons with at least 30 tallies from 2021-22 to 2023-24.
Tkachuk led Ottawa in hits in six of his eight seasons, ranking second among all league skaters in 2019-20 and 2020-21, and third in 2023-24. Over the past eight campaigns, he ranks second among all skaters in penalties drawn (295), behind only Connor McDavid (303). Since 2019-20, only two NHL players have produced at least 400 points and 500 penalty minutes: Matthew Tkachuk (182-314-496 in 449GP, 510 PIMs) and Brady Tkachuk (191-227-418 in 501GP, 746 PIMs). His 16 hits vs. New Jersey on April 6, 2024 stands as the record for the most in one regular season game since the NHL began tracking in 2007-08.
Prior to his professional experience, Tkachuk skated in one season (2017-18) with the NCAA’s Boston University Terriers where he led the team with 23 assists (8-23-31) over 40 games played as a freshman. He also competed in two seasons (2015-16 to 2016-17) with the U.S. National Team Development Program U17 and U18 teams.
On the international stage, Tkachuk most recently captured a gold medal representing the United States at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina, logging five points (3-2-5) over six tournament games. He also took home gold at the 2016 IIHF U18 World Junior Championship, where he served as captain and recorded seven points (1-6-7) in seven games. At the 2018 U20 WJC, he captured bronze while registering nine points (3-6-9) in seven contests.
Originally selected by Ottawa in the first round (fourth overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft, Tkachuk is the brother of Panthers forward, alternate captain and two-time Stanley Cup champion Matthew Tkachuk. Their father, Keith Tkachuk, won the Maurice Richard Trophy in 1996-97 and skated in 1,201 NHL games with the Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix Coyotes, St. Louis Blues and Atlanta Thrashers.
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