Florida Panthers forward Brady Tkachuk is expecting a wide range of emotions when he makes his return to Ottawa to face the Senators on Wednesday night.
Tkachuk spent his first eight NHL seasons with the Senators, the last five as team captain, before requesting a trade following the end of last season. The four-time All-Star was dealt to the Panthers on June 21 in exchange for a package of draft picks, joining his brother Matthew in Sunrise, Fla.
“Once we get there, it will hit a little more,” Brady Tkachuk said of facing the Senators for the first time. “It still feels like a game you circle on the calendar. Like a lot of people, you can’t believe it’s here. Once we land in Ottawa, and step foot and see some of the guys, it will be like, ‘OK, it’s here.’ I’m going to be nervous. It’s going to be a weird or cool experience, but I’m looking forward to it.”
Before the trade, Tkachuk was a member of the United States team that defeated Canada in the gold-medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Tkachuk has six goals and four assists through nine games with the Panthers. He produced an ultra-rare feat last week with a natural hat trick in back-to-back games, becoming the second NHL player in nearly 40 years and third overall to record a natural hat trick in consecutive games.
“It’s hard not to (follow Tkachuk when he) gets two hat tricks in a row,” Ottawa forward Jake Sanderson said of his former teammate. “So, I’ve definitely been following him. I follow the whole league, so I’m aware for sure.”
Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett followed with hat tricks — Verhaeghe’s a natural one — for the Panthers on Saturday in an 8-3 win against the Seattle Kraken. It marked the third straight game Florida notched a natural hat trick, a first in the NHL.
Florida is also the first team in over 100 years to record four or more hat tricks before its 10th game of the season. The last team to do it was the Toronto St. Patricks (five in 1922-23).
Panthers coach Paul Maurice said his team’s rapid pace is creating more scoring chances for everybody.
“We’re trying to do things faster,” he said. “Once you get to a certain speed, then everything stays fast. It’s not just your feet, but it’s your feet, then it’s your hands. … You start to create the options that you can find.”
Matthew Tkachuk comes into the game riding an eight-game point streak (three goals, 11 assists).
Ottawa is coming off a 3-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, handing the hosts their first win of the season.
On Monday, the Senators announced they signed coach Travis Green to a three-year contract extension.
Ottawa general manager Steve Staios said he likes the way Green has developed the team, and the signing will give the Senators stability behind the bench.
Green said the Senators check all the boxes for what he’s looking for in an organization.
“You’ve also got to believe you can win, first and foremost, and every coach wants to win,” Green said. “I truly believe that our team can.”
Ottawa will try to win without defenseman Thomas Chabot, who will be out for the next week or two with an upper-body injury.
Green said Chabot was dealing with the injury before the Philadelphia game.