Senators Players Were 'Surprised' By Brady Tkachuk Trade, Ready To Move On
The Ottawa Senators are ready to move on from the Brady Tkachuk era.
"I think, obviously, (the trade) took everyone kind of by surprise," Pinto said. "He's been such a big part of this organization. Obviously, the face of it. And he's obviously one of my good buds, too. So, to see him go, it definitely sucks. But I think he just wanted to go down a different path, and I totally understand that."
"We have a bunch of guys here that have been here for a while," Pinto said. "I think we're all growing together with Timmy, Drake, and Chabs. We've been here for a couple of years now, and I think that's the (focus) now. We just wish him all the best. I know we'll see him down the road. He's going to be in the division, so I'm sure we're going to see him a lot."
The deal that shocked the organization has been getting lots of headlines lately, as Tkachuk admitted recently he's well aware he's going to be booed in his return, and it will never be the same for the former Senator in Ottawa.
Tkachuk's former teammate and close friend Shane Pinto recently spoke to the media and opened up about live without Tkachuk moving forward in Ottawa. It's clear the players are ready to start their next chapter with the organization.
"On a personal level, he's still going to be my bud," Pinto said to TSN 1250. "And there's always going to be the business side of hockey, so you just kind of leave that out of it."
"I think, obviously, (the trade) took everyone kind of by surprise," Pinto said. "He's been such a big part of this organization. Obviously, the face of it. And he's obviously one of my good buds, too. So, to see him go, it definitely sucks. But I think he just wanted to go down a different path, and I totally understand that."
"We have a bunch of guys here that have been here for a while," Pinto said. "I think we're all growing together with Timmy, Drake, and Chabs. We've been here for a couple of years now, and I think that's the (focus) now. We just wish him all the best. I know we'll see him down the road. He's going to be in the division, so I'm sure we're going to see him a lot."
The Senators are built around Pinto, Drake Batherson, Jake Sanderson, and Tim Stutzle moving forward, and hope several of their young forwards are ready to take the jump to the next step on a more full-time basis.
Shane Pinto media avail from the @OttawaOpenGolf. Pinto on Tkachuk leaving "We're excited for the future. Yeah, we're gonna miss him. But like I said, we gotta move on and worry about what's in the room." #gosensgo pic.twitter.com/qIJj8SVXmf
— Coming In Hot (@ComingInHotSens) July 14, 2026