Tkachuk trade strengthens Panthers; Senators hold to Cup window

Ottawa collected three first-round picks and a second.

Wire Report IntelligenceUpdated Sep 81 min read

What happened: Ottawa sent Brady Tkachuk to the Panthers on June 21 for the Nos. 9 and 25 selections in 2026, a 2027 second-rounder and a conditional 2029 first-rounder. He left after recording 463 points in 572 regular-season games with Ottawa.

Why it matters: The Panthers missed the 2026 playoffs at 40-38-4, making Tkachuk central to their push back into contention. Ottawa went 44-27-11 and reached the postseason, giving it reason to treat the deal as a retool rather than a teardown.

By the numbers: Tkachuk averaged 0.81 points per regular-season game for Ottawa. Two years remain on his seven-year, $57.5 million contract, which carries an $8.214 million annual cap hit.

What to watch: Training camp will test how Ottawa replaces Tkachuk’s scoring and leadership while the Panthers fit him into their top six.

Sources

The New York Times 2026-09-08T23:01:29.409774+00:00

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