Jordan Spence didn’t hide it: Brady Tkachuk’s departure hit the Ottawa Senators hard.
Speaking on Coming In Hot, the Senators defenseman was asked whether the team felt stung that Tkachuk was the one who requested a trade. Spence didn’t try to soften it.
“It is tough. I think all the guys on our team, we have belief in each other.
We really do believe that we have a good team when we play our game and play to our identity. Whenever a guy like that leaves, it does hurt.
Maybe there's other reasons why he wanted to leave, but there's also other reasons (like) maybe not having the belief that we all have as a team... When it comes down to it, I think that it's going to make us better.
It's a big loss, but, you know, we've got to move on, and we still have a great team, and we're really excited for what's ahead," Jordan Spence said.
Tkachuk had been a centerpiece for Ottawa in the 2025-26 season, finishing with 59 points in 60 games, including 22 goals and 37 assists. The Senators reached the Stanley Cup playoffs with him in the lineup, then ran into the Carolina Hurricanes and were swept 4-0 in Round 1.
His exit still landed like a shock in June, especially after he had brushed off the trade chatter in April and called it a distraction while publicly committing to Ottawa. Two months later, he was the one asking out.
Tkachuk addressed the move recently on an episode of Wingmen with Brady and Matthew Tkachuk, and while he didn’t explain why he wanted to go to Florida, he did leave Ottawa with a heartfelt message.
“Ottawa truly shaped me into the person I am today. The city of Ottawa, and the fanbase... everybody welcomed me from Day 1, treated me like I was from there, treated me like I am family.
I'll just never forget that, and spending years in Ottawa is truly some of the most special moments of my life I got to experience. I came in as a 19-year-old, got married during my time at Ottawa...
Thank you to everybody in the city, all my fans, all my teammates, staff, everybody, coaches,” Brady said.
That message didn’t stop the fallout from his trade. After the move, Ottawa gave fans a chance to turn in their Tkachuk jersey for another one or take a discount on a future purchase, and plenty of supporters took advantage of the offer.
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