Senators 'don't intend on taking a step back' after Tkachuk trade: GM

Steve Staios left no doubt about the future of the Ottawa Senators and what will come next after Brady Tkachuk was traded to the Florida Panthers on Sunday.

"I don't want anybody to be misled," the Senators general manager said Monday. "I think you see the transaction, the picks coming back, you wonder which direction the team is going. I want to be clear: I don't intend on taking a step back with this group."

In a blockbuster move, the Senators traded Tkachuk, who was their captain and has two seasons remaining on a seven-year, $57.5 million contract ($8.214 million average annual value), to the Panthers for the Nos. 9 and 25 picks in the 2026 NHL Draft, a second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft and a first-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft (top 10 protected).

Staios offered a brief and business-like thank you to Tkachuk and his wife, Emma, for their impact in the Ottawa community and on the hockey team but quickly pivoted to what happens next. 

He said the Senators are already receiving robust interest in the draft capital acquired in the Tkachuk deal, that the picks are in play and there's a strong potential of Ottawa moving one or more for a player or players who could help them immediately.

Staios' phone even rang during the press conference, and while laughing he alluded to the fact it might have been another team calling him, possibly about the draft picks that are in play.

"Would you like to get an impact player back in a deal like this?" Staios said. "There's a number of different ways you can get there in the end. I feel like the draft capital and assets that we return opens the door for many different possibilities."

Staios stressed his point of having zero intentions of taking a step back multiple times by reiterating the Senators have made the Stanley Cup Playoffs the past two seasons and that they have good players who are committed long term to Ottawa.

He also said owner Michael Andlauer is committed to continuing to build a team that can compete for the Stanley Cup right away. 

"You hope players want to play where they have a chance to win, which I believe we do," Staios said. "You want players that aren't worried about anything else other than that."

Staios said his hope was always to have Tkachuk on board with the plan in Ottawa, but there is no animosity between him, the team and the player that it didn't end up being the case.

He called the situation with Tkachuk unique, explaining that he requested to be traded after Ottawa's season ended and used his no-movement clause to his advantage by providing a short list of teams he would be willing to go to.

"Clearly, it was pointed at one team at the end," Staios said. 

Tkachuk is joining his brother, Matthew, in Florida.

"We did what we needed to do from our perspective," Staios said.

Staios also said the timing of Tkachuk's request to be traded to the Panthers was right for the Senators.

Florida won the Stanley Cup in 2024 and 2025 but failed to make the playoffs this season.

"So, the pick was a very good pick, a top 10 pick and it holds value," he said. "My job now is to find out exactly what that value is and how it fits into our team moving forward."

Staios shot down the possibility of the Senators either keeping the No. 9 pick or trading it to move up in the draft to get a better pick.

"I wouldn't see that, I think, with this pick," he said.

There are, in fact, players they're already targeting, he said, and with about $25 million in salary cap space and multiple first-round picks available, Staios sounds like a GM who wants to act swiftly and is thinking big.

"This will be an interesting week as far as the value of that pick and other picks or other players," Staios said. "We're engaged in that process. You're never really going to replace Brady. He's a unique player. Are there ways I can help make this team better? We think there's an opportunity to do that. When that happens will depend on what we're able to do and what teams are willing to engage in this process, but there are certainly some players we have outlined and targeted that we're going to look at.

"This team is moving in the right direction I have no intention of this team taking a step back. We're active and we're open."