Brady Tkachuk’s return to Canadian Tire Centre is going to own the night on Wednesday, but the Florida Panthers are also bringing a second headline to Ottawa: a 6-foot-8 goaltender on the cusp of making NHL history.
Cooper Black is poised to become the tallest goalie the league has ever seen, moving past a record that is currently shared by five netminders at 6-foot-7. Among that group are two former Senators, Mads Sogaard and Ben Bishop. The others are former Edmonton Oilers goalie Mikko Koskinen, Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Ivan Fedotov and Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Dennis Hildeby.
Black’s path to this point has been a little different from the usual blue-chip goalie story. The Alpena, Michigan native was not drafted, spent two seasons at Dartmouth College, and kept developing enough to catch Florida’s attention. The Panthers signed him to an entry-level deal in April 2024, and he has spent the last two years climbing through Charlotte in the pro ranks.
His first NHL appearance may not come against Ottawa, but it could come during this four-game road trip. Jacob Markstrom’s upper-body injury, suffered in Monday’s practice, opened the door for Black to join the team. Markstrom is expected to miss 10 to 14 days.
Akira Schmid is expected to start against the Senators on Wednesday, with Black backing him up. Still, Panthers coach Paul Maurice has already made it clear the rookie could see action before the trip is over.
“That’s a big lad, and he moves like an athlete,” Maurice told reporters on Tuesday. “He's been good.
He's been good in practice. He looks like he fits.
He looks comfortable. It's the right time for him to get in.”
Bishop’s name carries extra weight in this conversation. He played 23 games for Ottawa before going on to become one of the NHL’s top goaltenders, earning three Vezina nominations. Sogaard, meanwhile, spent several seasons in the Senators organization after being selected in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft.
For Ottawa fans, though, the story that will dominate is still Tkachuk. The former captain requested a trade and is set to make his first appearance back at Canadian Tire Centre in a Panthers uniform.
And while most of the attention will be fixed on him, there will be another figure worth watching on the Florida bench: a 6-foot-8 rookie in a ball cap, waiting for his shot at a place in NHL history.
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 🡒]