Apr 20, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Ottawa Senators left wing Brady Tkachuk (7) comes off the ice after the warmups before the game against the Carolina Hurricanes in game two of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images

After Tkachuk trade to Panthers, TSN analyst Craig Button says US player departures aren’t unique to Canadian teams

Jun 25, 2026, 5:00 PM CUT

Brady Tkachuk's trade from the Ottawa Senators to the Florida Panthers brought up a familiar debate. Are Canadian NHL markets struggling to hold onto star players? TSN analyst Craig Button answered all the questions around it.

After this trade, Button argued to make his point, he took reference to the most prominent players in the league, the same offseason, Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin.

"The reason that Dylan Larkin… he's a Michigan guy," Button said on the Donnie and Dhali podcast. "Are we going to be concerned about Michigan guys leaving Michigan and being captains of the Red Wings?"

February 22, 2026, Milan, Lombardy, Italy: Macklin Celebrini 17 of Team Canada and Dylan Larkin 21 of Team United States in the men s Ice hockey, Eishockey gold medal game during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter games, Winterspiele,Spiele, Summer games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Milan Italy - ZUMAm117 20260222_oly_m117_223 Copyright: xDavidxMcIntyrex

Larkin was born and raised in Waterford, Michigan, and has spent his entire 11 years with the Red Wings. Despite being born and brought up in that place, he submitted a formal trade request this summer. Button explained the reason behind that request.

"He's put his request in because he doesn't believe that there's a chance to be successful in Detroit. He's been there a long time," Button said on the podcast.

Detroit has missed the playoffs in about ten consecutive seasons. According to multiple reports, Larkin's decision is from frustration rather than having any issue with the city or market.

He even talked about the exit of Rick Tocchet from the Vancouver Canucks in 2025. Tocchet, who won the Jack Adams Award with Vancouver, chose to leave and signed with the Philadelphia Flyers.

"I think Brady Tkachuk wanted to leave. Players just want to leave despite your best efforts."

Button was careful enough with his words to explain that the move isn’t a reflection of Ottawa's organization. He went on to praise the Senators' leadership group. He just explained that Tkachuk simply wanted something different.

"I think that it's way too premature to start talking about Canadian players leaving to go to other places," Button said.

Brady Tkachuk’s new chapter in Florida

The trade debate first came up when the Senators sent Brady to Florida in exchange for three first-round picks and a 2027 second-round selection. They reunited him with his brother Matthew with the Panthers.

Brady holds a strong record of 463 career points across 572 games. He holds five seasons of captaincy experience in the league. He has led the NHL in 2019-20 and brings a good amount of experience to the Florida roster.

He will now be in a team that already includes Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, and Brad Marchand.

"Their sole focus is the Stanley Cup," Brady said, explaining his only objective with the new team.

Whether Tkachuk's exit is because of a trend or an individual decision will remain a discussion for now. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.

Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore