The talk about Brady Tkachuk's trade from the Ottawa Senators to the Florida Panthers keeps growing. He is now reunited with his older brother Matthew on one of the NHL's top rosters. 

Beyond improving the team’s numbers, Matthew believes that this move can bring Brady's game to another level, and he explains why. On The Pat McAfee Show, Matthew described what made playing in Florida different from Ottawa.

"Brady had to wear a lot of hats playing in Ottawa, being a young captain, playing in Canada, just dealing with a lot of stuff," Matthew said. 

"The best part about playing down here...you have your role, you wear one hat, you don't have to do somebody else's job. It's a total group effort. Nobody is fighting to be the alpha," Matthew added.

Brady spent eight seasons holding together and rebuilding the Senators organization. He was picked as a fourth overall in 2018 and was handed captaincy at a young age.

Brady repeated the same during the introductory press conference on Tuesday.

"For me, I think it was just time for the next chapter," Brady said. "It wasn't an easy decision; it was something that I took a little bit more time than what's been out there to make that decision."

"It's probably the closest group in the League," Brady talked about the Panthers. "Their sole focus is the Stanley Cup."

In Florida, Brady steps into an already established roster where Aleksander Barkov is the captain. Matthew is an alternate. Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, and Brad Marchand are veteran players. 

The GM Bill Zito says at the press conference, "It's like a jigsaw puzzle. You're the piece that fits into the puzzle, but at the same time, it's the perfect puzzle to fit around that piece."

A Team With Something to Prove

The Florida Panthers finished seventh in the Atlantic Division this season in 2025-26. They hold a 40-38-4 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2019. 

This season was filled with injury setbacks for the players. Barkov missed the entire year with a knee injury, Matthew played just 31 games, and Reinhart, Marchand, Lundell, and Seth Jones all combined missed about 100 games between them.

The franchise is now set to enter the 2026-27 season to make a comeback and a direct run at the Stanley Cup. Brady has scored 29 or more goals and posted more than 20 points in four of the last five seasons.

For Brady, both teams hold different expectations. In Ottawa, success was measured by progress. In Florida, it is measured by championships.

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Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore