Brady Tkachuk’s first trip back to Ottawa with the Florida Panthers is set for Oct. 21, giving Senators fans an early chance to see their former captain in a new sweater.
The NHL released the 2026-27 schedule on Thursday, and Ottawa’s date with Tkachuk jumps off the page immediately. He was dealt to Florida this summer in one of the offseason’s earliest moves, and one of the league’s biggest surprises. The Panthers brought him in to join brother Matthew Tkachuk, while the Senators landed three first-round picks - two in 2026 and a top-10 protected pick in 2029 - plus a second-round pick in 2027.
Ottawa has already started turning that return into other pieces. The Senators moved the ninth-overall pick from the trade to the San Jose Sharks in a deal for William Eklund, and used the other first-rounder to select Jonas Lagerberg Hoen.
What makes Oct. 21 so intriguing is the mix of memory and reaction around Tkachuk’s exit. He never came out and said he wanted out of Ottawa, but reports after the trade said he had made it known for multiple seasons that he did not plan to re-sign with the Senators when his contract expired.
That decision appears to have hardened after the 2026 Winter Olympics, where Tkachuk won gold with the United States. The ripple effect from that tournament has already touched several other players around the league, with Dylan Larkin issuing a direct trade request, Connor Hellebuyck being shopped around, and trade rumors swirling around Auston Matthews and Zach Werenski.
Tkachuk’s final stretch in Ottawa also ended with a flat finish on the ice. He missed the start of the season with a wrist injury but still put up 22 goals, 37 assists and 59 points in 60 games.
The playoffs were a different story. Ottawa was swept by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes, and Tkachuk’s series opened with a meaningless fight with Jordan Staal that he lost.
He finished the four games without a point.
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