The Ottawa Senators are planning to welcome Brady Tkachuk back to town with a tribute video when he returns as a member of the Florida Panthers, but the idea has already stirred up a storm.
On one side, the Senators appear to be trying to do the polite thing. On the other, critics see it as rewarding a player they believe forced his way out after spending months saying he had no intention of leaving. That tension is exactly what set off Sid Seixeiro this week, as he ripped into the team for even considering the gesture.
“How many Sens fans are going to be there on October 21st and go home and say, ‘I’m really disappointed that we didn’t honor the coward that demanded his way out of town back on June the 21st.” Seixeiro said.
He didn’t stop there. “Man this pis- me off.
Not everyone deserves the video. They don’t care about you!
Why do you care about their video? It’s pathetic!
This stuff has to end, across the board, in all sports!”
He doubled down moments later. “Brady Tkachuk was done with you 18 months ago, and you knew it!
And you knew it! … Do not honour this guy.
He spit in everyone’s face. He lied to you on the way out.
Don’t thank him with a video!”
Fans, at least in this case, seemed to back him up. The reaction online leaned heavily against the idea of a tribute, with many arguing the Senators should not honor their former captain after the way he left the organization and the city.
Some fans said a video could still happen, but the response in the arena should be cold. One wrote, “How about a video of all the times he said he was committed to Ottawa?
Just kidding. They’ll have a video but the best reaction would be complete silence and no applause,” Another added, “He deserves the video for the community work he did, and the Sens org is too classy not to have a video.
But that will not stop the “BABY BROTHER” chants and boos from ringing through the CTC.”
Another fan framed the whole thing as a question of manners, saying, “Sid, the majority of Sens fans are not happy about it. I think deep down, as Canadians, the team wants to do what seems right.
But don’t let that fool you, fans aren’t interested and don’t give a crap. It won’t go well; many fans talked about turning around and not honoring it.”
So the Senators are left with a messy call: stick with the tribute video and take the backlash, or pull it back and make a point. Either way, Brady Tkachuk’s return is already set to get a reaction.
In Other News...
Brady Tkachuks Ottawa Return Is Already Stirring A Bitter Debate
Brady Tkachuks first trip back to Canadian Tire Centre since leaving Ottawa is already carrying more baggage than a routine reunion. The Senators are reportedly planning to acknowledge their former captain with a tribute video when he returns on Oct. 21, a gesture that would normally fit the emotions of an old star coming back to his first home but feels far more complicated this time around.
Tkachuk was traded to the Florida Panthers in June after asking out of Ottawa, and that detail has clearly shaped how part of the fan base sees the moment. The move left plenty of Senators supporters feeling betrayed, and the debate has spread beyond the building as Toronto sports host Sid Seixeiro openly criticized the idea of honoring him with a tribute at all, arguing the circumstances of his departure make it unwarranted. [Read more 🡒]
One Senators Trade Could Have Changed The Entire Blue Line
The Senators blue line has been a work in progress for years, and one of the franchises most interesting what-if scenarios traces back to the Matt Duchene trade in 2017. Ottawa sent a conditional 2019 first-round pick to Colorado in that deal, a piece that later became part of a draft path the Avalanche could use on Bowen Byram. In another timeline, that asset stays in Ottawas hands, and the entire discussion around how the club built its defense starts to look a lot different.
That alternate route also opens the door to a bigger question about the next summer and the decision that followed. If Ottawa had landed Byram, would it still have gone on to draft Jake Sanderson in 2020, or would the organization have approached that pick with a different need in mind? It is the kind of front-office ripple effect that reminds you how one trade can shape a roster for years, especially when the stakes are as high as finding a true cornerstone on defense. [Read more 🡒]