Tkachuk ready for 'next chapter' with Panthers after trade from Senators

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Brady Tkachuk expects it to take a while longer for it to fully settle in that he and his brother Matthew are now Florida Panthers teammates.

Some of that new reality hit him, though, as they were flying together with their families to Fort Lauderdale on Monday for his introductory news conference Tuesday. 

"That was where it's like, 'Holy cow, this is real. This is what's going to be everyday life,'" Brady said Tuesday.

What he referred to multiple times as "the next chapter" of his career began Sunday when the Panthers acquired him in a trade with the Ottawa Senators for the No. 9 and No. 25 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, a conditional first-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft and a second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. Florida acquired the No. 25 pick earlier Sunday as part of a trade with the Seattle Kraken for forward Mackie Samoskevich.

Brady watched Matthew and Florida make three consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final, including winning back-to-back championships in 2024 and 2025. After being riddled by injuries and failing to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season, the Panthers are gearing up for another run at the Cup and jumped at the chance to acquire Brady, a 26-year-old forward who had 463 points (213 goals, 250 assists) in 572 regular-season games, and seven points (four goals, three assists) in 10 playoff games during his eight seasons with the Senators.

"When a player of Brady's stature, ability, and most important character becomes available, you do what you can to try to acquire players like that and fit them into the group," Panthers general manager Bill Zito said. "I think in this instance, when we had talked on the phone, we said, 'It's like a jigsaw puzzle. You're the piece that fits into the puzzle.' 

"And at the same time, it's the perfect puzzle to fit around that piece."

Brady has two seasons remaining on a seven-year, $57.5 million contract ($8.214 million average annual value) he signed with Ottawa on Oct. 14, 2021, but requested a trade after the Senators were swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the playoffs. Although Brady, who was Ottawa's captain the past five seasons, said he was "fully committed" to the team on April 29, he eventually decided he wanted a change -- and to play with his brother.

"I think there's definitely a lot of different things that have happened throughout my time there, and for me, I think it was just time for the next chapter," said Brady, who was selected by the Senators with the No. 4 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. "It wasn't an easy decision. It was something that I took a little bit more time than what's been out there to make that decision, and it was a very hard decision. I think there is a lot more things that go into it, but, for me now, I'm very thankful for what they've done for me and not just as a player, but molding me into the human being I am today and the person I am today."

Brady said being teammates with Matthew, a 28-year-old forward, wasn't initially part of their NHL dreams. 

"I think our only dream as a kid was just to make it to the NHL and for us to be lucky enough to make it," he said. "I don't even think we ever talked or considered about what it'd be like every single day."

That changed after the Brady and Matthew played together for the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February 2025 and the 2026 Winter Olympics this past February, when they helped the Americans win the gold medal for the first time since 1980.

"Just seeing each other was the best part every day for three weeks, and just being together and our families being together," Brady said. "And then, I guess, that became a reality a couple days ago."

It's been a celebratory week for the Tkachuk family. They were together in St. Louis for Father's Day and for the baptism of Matthew's daughter, Millie, when they got the news of the trade Sunday. Then on Monday, their father, Keith, a forward who played 18 NHL seasons (1992-2010) and scored 538 goals, was selected as a member of the 2026 Hockey Hall of Fame class.

"That was just such a dream to be a part of, too," Brady said. "All his work, and we see him as a dad, but just to see him get rewarded for him as a player is pretty amazing, too."

Come September, Brady and Matthew will get to go to work and play together every day. And their children -- Millie, who was born April 13, Brady's son, Ryder, who will turn 2 in September, and daughter Lyla, who was born April 26 -- will get to grow up alongside each other.

"I don't think it's hit the both of us, the fact that we'll be together every single day," Brady said. "I know we've talked about little routines we're going to have in the morning. I know we like to get to the rink, both of us, really early. So, a little breakfast, coffee, and hanging out in the morning before guys get there."

Brady is also looking forward to getting to know better his new teammates and find his place among a loaded forward group that includes Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe, Brad Marchand, Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen. After failing to win a playoff series with Ottawa, having the chance to chase the Stanley Cup in Florida with Matthew is the main objective.

"Just to be a part of a Stanley Cup winning team is something that has always been my motivation," he said. "And to be here, they have the pedigree. Every time playing them after the game was just it's all about winning. There's nothing about individuals or individual success. The sole focus here is just about excellence."