Bye Bye Brady Tkachuk - What's Next for the Ottawa Senators?
A new chapter begins in the nation's capital—one filled with as many opportunities as there are questions.
The date is June 22, 2018. Following a disappointing season that saw the Ottawa Senators finish 30th out of 31 teams, the organization selected Brady Tkachuk with the fourth overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. While the organization received backlash online for passing up on former Detroit Red Wings forward Filip Zadina, the left winger out of Boston College would go on to endear himself to Senators fans across the nation with his physical play and promising potential.
Using the fourth-overall pick on Brady Tkachuk in 2018 was not as easy a decision for the team as it may seem; selecting Tkachuk meant the Senators would officially be forfeiting their own unprotected first-round pick in 2019 to the Colorado Avalanche as the final piece of the Matt Duchene trade.
Just under three months later, on September 13, 2018, the Ottawa Senators would trade their ninth captain in franchise history and face of the franchise, Erik Karlsson, to the San Jose Sharks.
The news broke three days after a video was uploaded to the Ottawa Senators’ YouTube channel, which saw former owner Eugene Melnyk interview defenseman Mark Borowiecki about the trajectory of the team going forward. Melnyk stated that the Senators would be entering a full-on rebuild in hopes of having sustained playoff success down the line, while also discussing the roster shift the team would experience in the upcoming seasons.
“I think, this coming year, 10 out of the 22 players are going to be new (…) and then the following year, it’s going to go up to about 15 out of the 22, maybe 16. So, that’s a total turnover, which is exactly what should be in a rebuild.”
— Eugene Melnyk
Some questioned whether it was even possible for the team to finish worse than last year. Seeing as they didn’t possess their own first-round pick, it made no sense for the team to attempt to bottom out. Their pride was on the line after all. They couldn’t be known as the team that traded away one of the best defensemen the league has ever seen, only to leave a conveniently Jack Hughes-shaped present under Colorado’s tree less than a calendar year apart.
Yet, against all odds, the Senators finished the 2018-19 season with a record of 29-27-6, good for dead last in the NHL. They had officially bottomed out. What can only be described as divine intervention for Senators fans, the hockey gods would deliver the Senators from pain and suffering by ensuring they would lose the 2019 NHL Draft Lottery, bumping down the pick Colorado acquired to fourth overall.
Fast forward two years, and the Ottawa Senators had yet another crucial decision to make. Who whould the organization name as the tenth captain in franchise history, Thomas Chabot or Brady Tkachuk?
On one hand, Chabot was a calm, composed presence who was born relatively close to the city he was drafted to. On the other hand, Tkachuk could be considered the heartbeat of the team at this time. He scored goals that felt as impactful as the hits he’d deliver, he was vocal both on the bench and in the locker room, and despite being born in Scottsdale, Arizona, he made it his mission to positively impact the local Ottawa community in any way he could.
Where did it go wrong?
From a familial perspective, it has been known for a while that the words “Tkachuk” and “loyal” aren’t often used in the same sentence. Whether just or unjust, Matthew and Brady’s father, Keith, earned this reputation for his family back in 1995 when he made insulting comments towards Winnipeg as a hockey market during his infamous contract holdout. Brady Tkachuk would feel the repercussions of this in his own NHL career, citing his irritation with reporters questioning his desire to remain in the city after having shown nothing but commitment to the organization.
This, in unison with a serious lack of playoff success and political tensions boiling over between Canada and the USA, left many Senators fans with questions regarding their captain’s future. Would the team really be in the same position they were almost eight years ago with zero playoff success to show for it?
The trade
To the dismay of some and to the relief of others, on June 21, 2026, Brady Tkachuk was traded to the Florida Panthers for a package that included three first-round picks. Unlike the aforementioned Erik Karlsson trade which devastated nearly every Senators fan in existence, the reception to the Brady Tkachuk trade was rather polarizing.
The Senators put the compensation they received for their captain to quick use, as two of the three first-round picks they acquired were used to bolster the offense. General Manager Steve Staios would send the ninth-overall pick to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for center/winger William Eklund, and forward prospects Kasper Halttunen and Brandon Svoboda. With the 25th-overall pick, the Ottawa Senators selected winger Jonas Lagerberg-Hoen, a winger known for his prolific shot.
What’s next?
In a press conference held by Steve Staios on June 22, he made it clear to reporters that the organization has no intentions of taking a step back during the 2026-27 season.
“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.”
— Steve Staios
With the team not being competitive over the course of six years from 2018-2024, combined with a lack of any recent playoff success, the rebuild Eugene Melnyk laid the blueprint for hasn’t exaactly gone to plan. Staios’ idea of not taking a step back is nice in theory, however, the team is banking on many uncertain and volatile factors falling in their favour. Oftentimes, this has proven to be a recipe for disaster for NHL teams.
Final thoughts
Taking an objective look at the roster in its current state, there’s a growing sentiment that the team is still missing a top-six winger. With Shane Pinto making $7.5 million dollars on his contract this upcoming season, I believe he will more than likely be promoted to a second line centre role with Dylan Cozens shifting over to the right wing.
At 23 years of age, Ridly Greig is one of the Senators’ biggest X-factors this upcoming season. A first-round pick in what ended up being a very successful 2020 NHL Entry Draft for the Senators, Greig has been a third-line contributor since 2022 who has also received special teams minutes. If the organization is done adding pieces up front, Greig should have a serious opportunity to solidify himself as a top-six forward on this roster.
Another important X-factor will be newly acquired forward William Eklund. Drafted 7th overall in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, Eklund has been one of the more productive players from his class, sitting fifth in points while playing on some not-so-flattering San Jose Sharks rosters during that span. If he can break out into a 70-point player, Ottawa should be in good shape offensively.
On paper, the Ottawa Senators are a team with immense scoring potential and a structured defensive system. In order for the team to not take a step back, the Senators will need a better season out of goaltender Linus Ullmark, who struggled with his on-ice play last season. If the team defense remains strong and the offense plagued with uncertainty ends up working out, Senators fans could be in for a fun season.
Even though it is difficult to ignore what happened the last time the Senators traded their captain and face of the franchise, the organization has an opportunity to turn heartbreak into a foundation of sustained playoff success.