- Brady Tkachuk spoke publicly about the Panthers trade for the first time since June
- He shot down the theory that the deal was hatched inside a Team USA group chat
- Read below for what he said about his Oct. 21 return to Ottawa
Brady Tkachuk finally sat down and talked about the trade.
Nearly three months after Florida acquired him from Ottawa on June 21, the winger met with a small group of reporters Tuesday at the NHL/NHLPA North American Player Media Tour in Las Vegas. He was asked to walk through how the split with the Senators actually unfolded.
“I think there’s also a lot of narratives and information out there that aren’t completely true,” Tkachuk told Matt Larkin of Daily Faceoff. “But just a lot of time, a lot of reflection. And it wasn’t an easy decision. It was a really hard decision and something that was emotional.”
One of those narratives had the whole thing cooked up at the Olympics, with Tkachuk, Quinn Hughes and Connor Hellebuyck all working their way out of their markets after winning gold together in Milan. He was asked directly about the group chat.
“We never discussed our individual situations or individual teams,” he said. “The group chat had nothing to do with the trade. It was more thanking ‘Helly’ for that performance he had.”
Florida put him in the sweater on Tuesday, and the pyro came out with it:
The 26-year-old put up 463 points in 572 games across eight seasons in Ottawa, the last five as captain. He knows exactly when he goes back.
“Oct. 21,” he said, without needing to check.
Tkachuk was asked what he expects from a building that watched him leave. He isn’t bracing for anything in particular.
“It’s a special place,” he said. “Whether it’s positive, negative, I know how appreciative I am, and I know that I can look myself in the mirror and know that I gave absolutely everything I had for the team and for the city.”
Ottawa is planning a tribute video for that night, and defenseman Thomas Chabot had plenty to say about the exit earlier this week.
The South Florida part sounds a lot lighter. Tkachuk bought a place two minutes from Matthew, and his brother has driven him to the practice facility in a golf cart five times since he arrived to skate about three weeks ago. On Thursday the two of them sound the Hurricane Siren at Hard Rock Stadium:
Playing on a line with Matthew is not a given. Paul Maurice has hinted at splitting them up, and Tkachuk told Nicholas J. Cotsonika of NHL.com that the roster makes the question close to irrelevant.
“Everybody on the team is a hell of a player,” he said. “So I’d be lucky to play with anybody.”
What struck him most was how little anyone in that room brings up the two Stanley Cups. Florida missed the playoffs last season and the group has moved on to that instead.
“They’re not even talking about the two Cups,” Tkachuk said. “They’re talking about last year and how they want to get back to where they wanted to be.”
Panthers camp opens Sept. 17. Tkachuk plays his first game in red on Sept. 29 in Carolina, where the Hurricanes will raise a banner before puck drop.
