Shane Pinto didn’t try to dress up the moment after Brady Tkachuk was traded. He said the same thing in different ways: the move stunned him, it hurt because he and Tkachuk are close, and then it was time to keep going.
That’s the part that stands out. Pinto wasn’t brushing it off.
He made clear it was not a “whatever, no big deal” kind of reaction. The trade hit the room, and it hit him.
But once the shock settled, his focus shifted to what Ottawa has left in front of it.
For Pinto, the biggest thing is the group that’s still there. He kept coming back to leadership, chemistry and the idea that the Senators have to work with the players in the room right now. In his view, that’s the job: Brady’s gone, and the team has to figure out how to be itself again.
That also says something about how Pinto sees the trade business in the NHL. He understands it’s part of the league, even when it lands hard.
The fact that he said everyone was shocked tells you this wasn’t something the dressing room saw coming. Still, he didn’t stay stuck there.
He moved quickly to the idea of a team with a great core that can keep building.
Pinto’s comments also point to the culture Ottawa is trying to maintain. He talked about friendship and respect, and he made it clear Tkachuk is still his buddy.
His departure, in Pinto’s telling, isn’t personal. It’s something the group can accept, support and move past without letting it turn into resentment.
That’s the real takeaway from Pinto’s reaction. The Senators were surprised, yes.
They were sad to see Tkachuk go, absolutely. But they’re not treating it like the end of something.
They’re already shifting toward what comes next, and Pinto’s message is that Ottawa’s mindset is to keep building.
In Other News...
Senators Fans Have A Big New Under 25 Debate To Settle
The Senators young-player pipeline is getting a fresh look, and it comes at a time when the organization has kept adding to its future through trades and the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. Ottawas latest wave of talent includes first-round picks Jonas Lagerberg Hoen and Jaxon Cover, while names like William Eklund and Kasper Halttunen have pushed themselves into the conversation as the club keeps reshaping its under-25 picture.
At the same time, a familiar group is aging out of Top 25 Under 25 eligibility, which means this years rankings could look very different from the one before. William Eklund enters as the player to beat for a spot near the top, and Halttunen brings a different kind of intrigue as the most NHL-ready forward prospect in the system, leaving Senators fans with a new debate to sort through as they weigh present value against long-term upside. [Read more 🡒]