Tkachuk anticipates 'special' return to Ottawa with Panthers

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Brady Tkachuk doesn't know what kind of reception he will get when he and the Florida Panthers play at the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; Prime, SCRIPPS).

But he has some ideas of what he may hear.

"I am definitely putting no expectations on it," he said Monday. "If they boo, well, it just shows the passion that they have for their team, their city.

"I loved playing in front of them because of that passion. Just know I gave every ounce of blood, sweat and tears for that team, that city, for eight years. I can hold my head up high for the effort that I gave. I just appreciate all that they have done for me and making me who I am today."

Tkachuk returns to Ottawa four months to the day of his trade to the Panthers. The forward, who played his first eight seasons with the Senators, the past five as captain, requested a trade after last season. That wish, and the ability to play with his brother, Matthew, was granted June 21 when the Senators and Panthers swung a blockbuster trade, Florida sending three first-round picks in the NHL Draft (two in 2026 and a conditional pick in 2029) and a second in 2027 to Ottawa for Brady. 

Brady and the Panthers will actually arrive in Ottawa on Tuesday, giving him time to catch up with friends who still play for the Senators. 

"I will be able to see the guys, get to see the staff at the morning skate," Tkachuk said. "We will have a group of guys for dinner, and I will get to see so many great people who aren't with the team. It will be nice to get back, and I will try to see as many people as possible. It's just a special place."

If Brady needs any advice on how to handle returning to a former NHL city, he doesn't have to look far. 

Matthew played his first six NHL seasons for the Calgary Flames and was traded to Florida on July 22, 2022, after making it clear he would not sign a long-term deal with the Flames. 

On Nov. 29, 2022, Matthew received a mix of boos and cheers just a few months after the trade the sent Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, forward prospect Cole Schwindt and a lottery protected first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft to Calgary. 

Although booed when he touched the puck, Matthew got a partial standing ovation from the Scotiabank Saddledome crowd during his first-period video tribute. 

Matthew's first visit to Calgary was a bit different than Brady's will be this week: Florida was in Edmonton the night before it played the Flames, so there was not much time for sightseeing nor meeting up with old friends. 

Brady will get time in Ottawa, although the Panthers will fly out after the game for the second of a back to back against the host Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.

"I did not really allow myself to think about it too much," Matthew said last week, "and it helped that we played Calgary at home a week earlier, which was nice. 

"It is great seeing the guys who you do miss. And it was nice being back in Calgary, a place I really love, but being on a back to back, I did not have much time to think about it. I woke up and basically went out there and played. 

"You just want to get through that first shift, that first TV timeout. After the tribute video, you can really focus on playing. but during warmups, yeah, you look around. I thought 'I played 500 games here.' A lot of great memories come flooding back. You see security guards you are close with, ushers you met over the years. It is really weird coming in through another entrance and using the visiting room."

Panthers coach Paul Maurice said he has no special plans for Wednesday, although one would expect Brady Tkachuk's line to be on the ice to start the game. Maurice, who has coached 2,021 regular-season games in the NHL, has been through these "homecoming" games many times before.

"Brady has handled this impeccably the entire time and he will continue to do that," Maurice said. "It will be a bigger deal for the home team, especially for the player who is returning. Brady has a lot of close relationships with those guys in Ottawa. We're going to play and support him.

"If you have been in the League long enough, you have elite players leave your team. When it happens, you feel like it's the only time it has ever happened. But then, you look back and go, 'This happens all the time,' so it will get dealt with. Then we'll play the game."

Brady will be heading back to Ottawa on quite the hot streak.

On Monday, he was named the NHL's First Star of the Week after he had natural hat tricks in consecutive wins against the host Columbus Blue Jackets and visiting Vancouver Canucks. 

Prior to last week, Brady did not have a point in his first five games with the Panthers. He then had 10 points (six goals, four assists) in four games and heads back to Ottawa on a four-game point streak.

"Once we get there, I will use that emotion to my advantage because it is going to be emotional both individually and in the building," Brady said. "I just want to be able to channel that and use it in the right areas. It's going to be special being back there. I spent eight great years there and have a lot of great memories. The city made me who I am. It's going to be a special game."