The Florida Panthers had a busy Sunday ahead of the 2026 NHL draft. General Manager Bill Zito made two moves a day, the biggest of which was the acquisition of Brady Tkachuk from the Ottawa Senators.
Hearing that the Florida Panthers are getting closer to acquiring Brady Tkachuk from the Ottawa Senators.
I believe Ottawa will get three first-round picks and a second-round pick in the deal once it's done. More to come.— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 21, 2026
NHL Rumors: Where Are Brady Tkachuk Trade Rumors Coming From?
The Panthers sent the 9th and 25th overall picks from the 2026 NHL Draft, along with a 2029 first-round pick and a 2030 second-round pick.
9 & 25 this year, the first in 2029 and the second in 2030
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 21, 2026
Despite all the public comments denying the trade speculation and insisting that he would not finish his career in Ottawa, Brady Tkachuk really wanted out. Whether it was endless speculation or what happened after Team USA won the gold medal, he went to management with a short list of teams and asked for a trade.
Brady sent a short list of teams he wanted to be moved to and waived his NMC, as I understand it. The Tkachuk brothers are together, once again, this time at the NHL level. Happy Father's Day, Walt.
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) June 21, 2026
According to sources, the Panthers have been in talks with the Senators since Saturday night, and there are many possibilities for this to happen. There was confidence on the Panthers side.
It appears that this Brady Tkachuk trade was in the works and the Panthers felt very confident about it last night. #huntingtime
— Jim Biringer (@JimBiringer) June 21, 2026
Brady Tkachuk has two years left at $8,105,714 and would not stay in Ottawa. He wanted to win and play with his brother, Matthew Tkachuk. There is a belief that Team USA's locker room and team roster was a recruiting trip just like in college football. Now the top American players, having won the gold medal, want to win the Stanley Cup.
There were others on his trade list, including the Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights, and Carolina Hurricanes. However, the Ottawa Senators made the best of a difficult situation when it came to trading their captain.
NHL Rumors: Several Teams Would Like to Trade Brady Tkachuk
The move was preceded by one made earlier Sunday by GM Bill Zito, who traded Mackie Samoskevich to the Seattle Kraken for the 25th pick in the 2026 Draft and a conditional 2nd-round pick in 2026 (either Columbus or Winnipeg's choice). It will be the top of the two choices.
It was only a matter of time as his name has been rumored in trade talks for quite some time now.
The Florida Panthers sent Mackie Samoskevich to the Seattle Kraken for the 25th pick in the 2026 Draft and
2nd conditional next year (either Columbus or Winnipeg pick)The Panthers were the top two…
— Jim Biringer (@JimBiringer) June 21, 2026
Brady Tkachuk Frustrated Answering Frequent Trade Rumor Questions
The Florida Panthers want to take another shot at the Stanley Cup and they can do it with Aleksander Barkov, Anton Lundell and Sam. Bennett down in the middle. Adding Brady Tkachuk gives them depth on the wing.
?Night Cap Recap ?
Brady Tkachuk went to the Florida Panthers #timetohunt #gosensgo pic.twitter.com/iR4LI97f2n
— Jim Biringer (@JimBiringer) June 21, 2026
It sounds like the Panthers aren't done yet. Bill Zito still needs a goalkeeper. Do they re-sign Sergei Bobrovsky or try to make a goaltender trade? They were paired with Connor Hellebuyck and Jordan Binington. But then again, what chips do they have if Anton Lundell doesn't move? Will they try to move Carter Verhaeghe?
Something to keep an eye on moving forward with the Panthers.
We had to restart our X account. Please follow @MyNHLRumorsX
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? Rumors and hot topics from around the league. We also post some stuff on Instagram.
If you like our reporting, choose NHLrumors.com as a favorite source on Google.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQdFNJ9UCo
