Brady Tkachuk is heading back to Ottawa with no shortage of feeling, and no need to guess what Wednesday night will mean to him.
The Florida Panthers forward will face the Senators for the first time since leaving the franchise that drafted him and gave him eight seasons, including five as captain. Tkachuk asked for a trade this offseason and landed in Florida, where he teamed up with his older brother, Matthew Tkachuk. Now he returns to a place that shaped his career and, in his words, his identity.
"I am definitely putting no expectations on it," Tkachuk said Monday, according to NHL.com's George Richards. "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’s trip back comes with plenty of momentum. He was named the NHL’s First Star of the Week on Monday after piling up back-to-back hat tricks and nine points in three games last week.
Even with that run behind him, he said the bigger challenge will be managing the emotions that come with returning to Ottawa.
"It is going to be emotional both individually and in the building," Tkachuk 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 years there and have a lot of great memories.
The city made me who I am. It's going to be a special game."
The Panthers and Senators enter the night tied with 12 points through nine games this season.
In Other News...
Ottawa Fans Have Not Forgotten Brady Tkachuks Messy Exit
Brady Tkachuk is headed back to Ottawa this week wearing a different sweater, and it figures to be one of the louder emotional swings of the Senators season. The former captain, now with the Florida Panthers, left behind a fan base that once embraced him as the face of the franchise, only for his exit to come after a trade request that sat awkwardly beside his earlier public denials that he wanted out.
It is the kind of return that tends to stir up old feelings fast, especially in a building where supporters still remember how the story ended. Ottawa plans to welcome him with a tribute video, but the atmosphere is likely to be far less sentimental than the organizations gesture suggests, with Tkachuk himself admitting he is uneasy about what awaits him when he steps onto the ice. [Read more 🡒]
Brady Tkachuks Exit Is Forcing Senators Fans To Relive A Classic NHL Pain
Brady Tkachuks exit has sent Ottawa fans back to a familiar kind of NHL frustration, the sort that comes when a franchise loses a star and has to watch the rest of the league react to it. The Senators at least had a chance to soften the blow this time, turning the deal with Florida into draft capital and immediate help, which is more than some clubs have been able to say after losing a cornerstone player.
Still, the emotional comparison is hard to avoid because of how much control Tkachuk had over the destination, much like John Tavares once did when he left the Islanders. In Ottawa, the return can be measured and debated, but the larger question is how a fan base processes losing a player of that stature when the move was shaped from the start by the player himself. [Read more 🡒]
Dylan Larkin Trade Buzz Just Got More Real For Red Wings Fans
The ripple effects from one stars changing trade landscape can reach well beyond Detroit, and Ottawa has reason to pay attention whenever Brady Tkachuk is part of the conversation. The Senators captain has already been central to the organizations identity, and his move to the Florida Panthers continues to linger as one of those developments that still invites questions about how it all came together.
Tkachuk has now made it clear the choice was his alone, and not something pushed by his father, Keith. He also said there were both personal and professional reasons behind it, while keeping the private details private, which leaves the hockey world with the broad outline but not the full story. For a Senators fan base that knows how much his presence mattered, it is the kind of clarification that answers one question while keeping the more interesting ones in the background. [Read more 🡒]