Brady Tkachuk will take the ice in Ottawa on Wednesday with the Panthers riding his four-game scoring run, but the bigger current will come from the building he once captained. Florida’s forward is returning to face the Senators for the first time since the June 21 trade that ended his eight-season run in Canada’s capital.
Tkachuk said he is not trying to predict the reception at Canadian Tire Centre when Florida visits at 7:30 p.m. ET. Cheers, boos or both, he expects the emotion to reflect the investment Senators fans made in him during five seasons as captain.
“If they boo, it shows how much they care about their club and their city,” Tkachuk said. “I gave that team and that city everything I had for eight years. I can be proud of the work I put in, and I’m thankful for what they did for me and for helping make me the person I am.”
Back in the visitors’ room
Tkachuk asked Ottawa for a trade following last season, and the Senators accommodated him in a major June deal with Florida. The Panthers sent Ottawa three first-round selections — two in 2026 and a conditional 2029 pick — plus a 2027 second-rounder in exchange for the 26-year-old forward.
The move also placed Brady alongside older brother Matthew in Florida. It means Wednesday will carry a different kind of weight than a standard road stop, particularly because the Panthers will arrive Tuesday and give Brady time to reconnect before game day.
He plans to see former teammates and Senators staff around the morning skate, then meet a group for dinner. He also wants to spend time with people around the organization and city who are no longer with the club.
“It’s a special place,” Tkachuk said. “I’ll try to see as many people as I can.”
Florida coach Paul Maurice does not intend to make the night more complicated than it needs to be. He said Tkachuk has handled the transition well and expects the Panthers to back their teammate through an emotional opening stretch. Tkachuk’s line is expected to start the game.
Maurice, who has worked 2,021 NHL regular-season games behind the bench, said return visits can feel enormous to the player and former club involved, even though they are a familiar part of life in the League.
“Brady has a lot of close relationships with those players in Ottawa,” Maurice said. “We’re going to play and support him.”
Matthew has been there
Matthew Tkachuk can offer a useful blueprint. His first game back in Calgary came Nov. 29, 2022, months after his own trade from the Flames to Florida. The Saddledome crowd booed him at puck touches, then gave him part of a standing ovation during a first-period tribute.
That transaction brought Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, prospect Cole Schwindt and a lottery-protected 2025 first-round pick to Calgary.
Matthew’s return had a tighter schedule: Florida played in Edmonton the previous night, leaving little opportunity to revisit old surroundings or meet former teammates. He said the key was getting through the first shift, the first television break and the tribute, then settling into the game.
“During warmups, you look around,” Matthew said. “You remember all the games and the great moments. You see the arena people you knew for years. It feels strange entering through a different door and being in the visiting dressing room.”
After the horn
Brady arrives in Ottawa with his game in full flight. After going scoreless through his first five Panthers appearances, he exploded for 10 points in four games, including six goals and four assists.
He recorded natural hat tricks in consecutive victories over the Columbus Blue Jackets and Vancouver Canucks, earning NHL First Star of the Week honors Monday. His point streak stands at four games.
Tkachuk said he intends to use the return rather than let it overwhelm him.
“It will be emotional for me and for the building,” he said. “I want to channel it the right way. I have a lot of memories there, and that city helped shape me. It’s going to be a special game.”
Florida will not linger after the final horn. The Panthers are scheduled to fly out following Wednesday’s game and continue to Pittsburgh for the second half of a back-to-back Thursday against the Penguins.
