Everyone’s Mad About Brady Tkachuk Going To Florida

Brady Tkachuk will join his co-podcaster Matthew on the Mar-a-Lago Panthers. Let’s address the hockey stuff first. A scary forward group gets even scarier, and more irritating to play against; there are no real soft spots or ceded shifts in the three top lines. After a lost season following two straight Cups, Florida figures to come back as strong as ever. This is a mixed bag depending on your tolerance for the Panthers.

The Panthers, who appear to have fully subscribed to the “fuck them picks” philosophy to extend their window of contention, will send the Ottawa Senators a nice haul for the 26-year-old. Ottawa will receive picks No. 9 and No. 25 in this weekend’s draft, a second-round pick next year, and a conditional first-round pick in 2029. There are reports that the Sens tried and failed to pry loose a player from Florida—either Anton Lundell or Carter Verhaeghe—but it’s still a pretty good return. Especially considering they weren’t exactly dealing from a position of strength.

Tkachuk, despite months of assuring the media he was committed to the Senators, told the team he was only committed to playing out the last two years of his contract, and would not re-sign in Ottawa after that. With a no-movement clause, Tkachuk was able to dictate where he would go, and he reportedly offered the Sens just four options: Florida, Vegas, Carolina, and Minnesota.