After spending eight seasons with the Ottawa Senators, Brady Tkachuk was traded to the Florida Panthers in exchange for four picks in the draft. While some fans celebrated the news, with Brady joining his brother, Matthew Tkachuk, on the roster, some called out the Senators for it.

On Sunday, the deal was confirmed, and, following that, NHL analyst Mark Lazerus shared a post on his X account and talked about his opinion on the same.

"To trade away one of your two best players — your captain, no less — and not get a single NHL player in return when you just emerged from damn near a decade of rebuilding is a massive kick in the teeth for Ottawa and its fans. Just brutal," he wrote.

Brady Tkachuk was the first-round pick in the 2018 draft and played in a total of 572 games, recording 213 goals and assisting on 250, adding a total of 463 points in the regular season. Aside from that, he also made appearances in the two postseasons, in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons, in which he played a total of ten games and recorded four goals and assisted on three.

But despite all this, the Senators let him go with the Nos. 9 and 25 picks in the first round of the 2026 draft and also received a top-10 protected first-round pick in the 2029 draft, along with their fourth pick, which was the second-round pick in the 2027 draft.

Lazerus expressed his disappointment with the Senators for letting go of Tkachuk, who had been with the team for a long time. The Panthers, however, welcomed Tkachuk with open arms.

Panthers' GM calls Tkachuk "one of the most physical and relentless forwards in the league"

While it's a kick in the teeth or a profitable deal for the Senators, only time will tell, but the Panthers are highly excited to have Brady Tkachuk on the team. While making the big announcement on Sunday, their general manager, Bill Zito, talked with the media and praised the forward for his impressive game over the years.

"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.

Brady Tkachuk is joining his brother on the Panthers. Notably, the two have won the gold medal for the USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics earlier this year, and fans would be hoping to have similar results while they play together for the Panthers, who are awaiting their third Stanley Cup.

Last season, they even failed to make it to the playoffs, but it would be interesting to see how things will unfold in the future.

What do you think about the Senators' deal with the Panthers? Do let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Ankita Yadav

Edited by

Ankita Yadav