Brady Tkachuk Opens Up On Trade Request As He Returns to Ottawa

It hit out of nowhere (sort of) early this summer: Brady Tkachuk had asked out of Ottawa, and the Senators immediately granted his wish, sending him to join his brother Matthew with the Florida Panthers.

As he got set for an outpouring of boos in what will be a hostile environment from the Ottawa fans in Wednesday night's game at the Canadian Tire Centre, Tkachuk was asked about his trade request, and he pushed back on his family's influence in his decision.

"It was 100% my decision. I'm a big boy. I can make decisions for myself and my family." Brady Tkachuk on his decision to join his brother Matthew in Florida. https://t.co/ZYzeRqOoep

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 21, 2026

“I’ve talked about it a lot that, there are professional (and) personal reasons why I wasn’t going to re-sign here,” he said. “A lot of those things remain private between (Senators GM Steve Staios) and I, and it’s going to remain private. 

'It was 100% my decision': Brady Tkachuk says he wasn't influenced by family to ask for a trade

"It was 100% my decision. I'm a big boy. I can make decisions for myself and my family." 

He admitted that "it was special" rooming with his brother Matthew at the Olympics, and "being with him every day." But he then followed that up by claiming that it was a surprise that he was traded to join him in Florida. 

"It just happened to work out this way... When it came down to it, and it worked out that I went to Florida, um, I was really excited about it."

When it was put to him specifically that Senators owner Michael Andlauer claimed a few weeks back that it was Tkachuk's family that persuaded him to push for a trade to Florida, Brady bristled at the suggestion. 

Brady Tkachuk responded to Sens owner Michael Andlauer's recent comments about his family influencing his decision to go to Florida 👀 Tkachuk pushed back, insisting that he made the decision entirely on his own ☝️ https://t.co/DSBnHWIaFr

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) October 21, 2026

"He's entitled to his opinion... I don't need to be influenced by other people to make decisions."  

As for the emotional outpouring of anger and vitriol that'll be coming from Senators fans in this game, Tkachuk said that won't affect his feelings for the eight years he spent in Canada's capital.

"I know how I feel about this city, about this fanbase and how thankful and appreciative I am. No matter what the reaction is going to be, that’s not going to change how I feel about this city and this fanbase.”