The Ottawa Senators shocked the NHL on Sunday night when they traded captain Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers.

Brady reunited with his brother Matthew on the same team that was once the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions. 

Within just a few hours of this announcement,  NHL insider David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that Ottawa is making a serious effort to get Dallas Stars restricted free agent Jason Robertson.

"Things are very fluid, and there's plenty of time for Dallas to explore its options. But sources say Ottawa is making a big push for Jason Robertson. If a trade cannot be ironed out and he hits July 1 as an RFA, the Senators could present him with a significant offer sheet," Pagnotta said.

And another post explained how the Senators are making a "strong push" for Robertson. But no deal has been confirmed for now. 

Robertson is one of the best forwards in the game. He is a left winger who finished the 2025-26 season strongly. Robertson made 45 goals and scored 96 points across 82 games. He ended up earning a spot on the NHL's First All-Star Team. 

Robertson is now coming off a four-year contract, which is valued at over $7.75 million on average. 

The Senators got four draft picks from Florida in exchange for Tkachuk. They got the ninth and 25th overall selections in the 2026 NHL Draft, a 2027 second-round pick, and a conditional 2029 first-round pick.

With more than $25 million in cap space, the team clearly has the assets to make a trade with Dallas or wait for a better offer if Robertson reaches July 1 without a contract.

The offer sheet in that situation is estimated to be above $11.9 million annually. It would need Ottawa to give away its first four picks as compensation.

Dallas would then face a problem due to their cap space this offseason. It would potentially get more difficult to even make such a deal. 

Ottawa After the Departure of Brady Tkachuk

Tkachuk's leaving Ottawa is a huge deal. He spent all eight seasons with the Senators and served as captain for the last five. Just in that span, he made a total of 213 goals and 463 points across 572 games, marking himself as the league’s top forward.

Even their General Manager, Steve Staios, confirmed on Monday that Tkachuk requested the trade. He also mentioned how Tkachuk held a no-move clause, which left the team with limited options.

"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 as reported by ClutchPoints. "We now possess cap space and draft capital and will be actively working to improve our roster."

The move puts Brady with his brother Matthew now, after a long time. This is long after the two played together for Team USA at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and won gold at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

The Senators are planning on rebuilding their core around elite players and not simply dwelling on the loss of their captain.

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Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi