Ottawa Senators general manager Steve Staios revealed Monday that captain Brady Tkachuk asked to be traded, prompting the organization to deal him to the Florida Panthers. The trade, finalized Friday, sends Tkachuk to Florida in exchange for the No. 9 and No. 25 overall picks in the 2026 NHL draft, a top-10-protected first-round pick in 2029, and a second-round selection in 2027.
Trade request changed everything
Staios acknowledged that just a month ago, he dismissed the possibility of trading Tkachuk as “nonsense.” However, a meeting at Tkachuk’s home in New Jersey changed the trajectory. “A trade request changed,” Staios said. “I was always fully supportive and wanted to make it work long term. It became clear as the season went on this year that maybe something was amiss, and that had changed, but up until that point, I would have loved to have seen it through with Brady.”
Leverage and limited options
Staios noted that Tkachuk’s no-move clause gave him significant leverage, narrowing the list of potential destinations. Although Tkachuk provided a short list of teams, it became evident he only wanted to join his brother Matthew with the Panthers. “I don’t know if I want to get into the specifics at the end. It’s pretty clear there was one team, but there was full engagement with the list of teams that I had,” Staios explained. “At the end of the day, it did become very clear. I feel like I got the best deal that the Ottawa Senators could get under the circumstances.”
Asset management and future plans
Staios indicated he has no intention of using the No. 9 pick and is actively exploring trades to acquire players who can contribute immediately. “We know what the asset base is coming back off of this transaction, and then we have some time prior to the draft with my staff to work on,” he said. The Senators will also receive a top-10-protected first-round pick in 2029 and a second-rounder in 2027.
Staios emphasized that the no-trade clause dictated the outcome. “The dynamic of a no-trade clause changes how the transaction works and how it’s going to look. Clearly, it was pointed at one team at the end,” he said. “It’s not like he was available to every team in the league, so that process sort of took hold as I went along with the number of teams, and it was clearly pointed to one team at the end of it.”
