Tkachuk Trade Followed Players’ Complaint That Brothers’ Podcast ‘Caused Some Problems’

Senators players told insiders the podcast created locker-room unrest that helped push Ottawa to move its captain.

Overview

The Ottawa Senators traded captain Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers in a multi-pick deal that reunited him with his brother Matthew and returned several 2026 and future draft selections to Ottawa.
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported that multiple Senators players had grown tired of the ongoing speculation and said the brothers’ podcast was a specific source of distraction inside the dressing room.
An anonymous Senators player told Friedman the podcast “caused some problems,” a new detail that adds to explanations for why the club and players wanted the situation resolved.
Senators GM Steve Staios has said Tkachuk requested a trade roughly 10 days after Ottawa’s playoff exit, a timeline Brady has contested, saying his decision was harder and took longer than reported.
Ottawa has already begun using and flipping the draft assets acquired in the trade as part of a roster reset, and the move will change the Senators’ short-term rebuild while altering the Panthers’ top-line forward mix.