NHL.com breaks down the fantasy hockey fallout from Brady Tkachuk being traded to the Florida Panthers. For more coverage, visit NHL.com/Fantasy.
Fantasy draft range for Tkachuk after trade
Despite being limited to 60 games for the Ottawa Senators last season because of injury, Brady Tkachuk still finished 58th overall in standard category fantasy leagues, which count goals, assists, power-play points, shots on goal, hits and blocks for skaters. The trade to the Florida Panthers gives Tkachuk a chance to reach his full potential after already having a high fantasy ceiling in years past; he ranked 14th overall in standard category fantasy leagues during the 2024-25 season with Ottawa and 15th overall in 2023-24.
Over the past five seasons combined (since 2021-22), Tkachuk is the only player in the NHL with 300 points (338), 1,000 shots on goal (1,509) and 800 hits (1,196). Over that same span, Brady Tkachuk is one of two players with at least 150 goals and 700 hits; the other is Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals.
Tkachuk, who will join forces with his brother Matthew Tkachuk, should be considered the top fantasy option from the Panthers and is worth targeting in the first two rounds of most fantasy drafts, especially those counting shots on goal, hits and/or penalty minutes. Florida, which has reached the Stanley Cup Final in three of the past four seasons, won back-to-back championships in 2024 and 2025 but missed the postseason in 2026 because of multiple key injuries, most notably Aleksander Barkov (knee; out for entire season).
With Barkov back healthy for next season, Florida has four of the top 50 overall fantasy players in NHL.com’s rankings for standard category redraft leagues:
20. Brady Tkachuk
25. Matthew Tkachuk
38. Sam Reinhart
44. Aleksander Barkov
Read more: Fantasy top 200 rankings for 2026-27
Panthers’ projected lineup after trade
Brady Tkachuk is expected to play on a line with his brother Matthew Tkachuk at even strength for the Panthers, with center Sam Bennett likely to round out that unit. Florida’s first power play is likely to include both Tkachuk brothers, Sam Reinhart and Aleksander Barkov.
Over the past five seasons combined, the Panthers have three players on their roster who rank among the NHL’s top 10 in goals by tips and deflections: Matthew Tkachuk, Reinhart (32 each; tied for fifth) and Brady Tkachuk (31; tied for eighth). Florida was tied for 18th in goals per game (3.00) and tied for 19th in power-play percentage last season (19.5) but has bounce-back appeal considering the team dealt with injury absences of key players like Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Reinhart, Brad Marchand, Anton Lundell and Seth Jones. Over a five-season span from 2020-21 to 2024-25, the Panthers were a top five offense (3.45 goals per game; tied for fourth).
The fifth member of the Panthers’ first unit could be either defenseman Aaron Ekblad or Jones, and the team could also try five forwards and incorporate Marchand or Bennett. Marchand, who had strong chemistry with Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen during Florida’s 2025 championship run, could reunite with those linemates after the Tkachuk trade and provide the Panthers with arguably the deepest top-nine forward group in the League.
