- Senators GM Steve Staios says he saw signs Brady Tkachuk wanted out more than a year before the trade
- Staios confirmed Tkachuk requested the deal that sent him to Florida for a package of draft picks
- Read below for the full quotes and why Ottawa moved its captain when it did
Steve Staios saw it coming long before Brady Tkachuk ever asked out.
The Senators general manager traded his captain to the Florida Panthers about a month ago, and he has already confirmed Tkachuk requested the move. On the Locked on Senators podcast this week, Staios put a timeline on how far back the signs went.
Staios was asked whether he had an inkling a trade request was coming when he sat down with Tkachuk. He pushed the answer back more than a year.
“I think over the last, probably over a year, that I saw signs that potentially Brady wouldn’t be here long term. Obviously, we want to take the time and do everything I can as the manager to protect and sort of deflect. There’s some things that were out of our control that we were trying to deal with.”
Here is the clip of Staios laying it out:
Staios said he spent that stretch trying to build the right environment and let his players grow together, even as he sensed the captain might not be part of the long haul. Once he had an open conversation with Tkachuk and got his feedback, the decision to start a trade process was made.
Ottawa did not sell cheap. The Senators landed the No. 9 and No. 25 picks in the 2026 draft, a conditional 2029 first-rounder, and a 2027 second, with no players coming back the other way. Plenty of fans still wanted a roster piece in the return.
Staios explained why he moved now rather than letting Tkachuk play out the two years left on his deal.
“We’ve seen in the past when players like this are left a little bit longer, two things happen. One is it could become a distraction to the team and two is the return on value isn’t quite there. So we were prudent, we engaged in the process, went through that diligently and worked towards a solution.”
Watch the full sit-down with Staios:
Ottawa fans get their first look at the new-look Tkachuk soon enough. The Panthers visit the Canadian Tire Centre on October 21.
