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SUNRISE, FL - FEBRUARY 20: Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky #72 of the Florida Panthers and Brady Tkachuk #7 of the Ottawa Senators come together after action in front of the net during third period action at the Amerant Bank Arena on February 20, 2024 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

The Ottawa Senators pulled off a major trade with the divisional rival Florida Panthers on Sunday, trading captain Brady Tkachuk to the Panthers, where he will now join forces with his brother Matthew Tkachuk.

Both brothers played together with Team USA at the Four Nations Face-Off last year, and earlier this spring in the 2026 Winter Milan Olympics, the latter of which resulted in an upset victory over Team Canada to claim gold for the first time since 1980.

In return, the Senators received multiple draft choices, including the No. 9 and No. 25 picks in the 2026 NHL Draft, a conditional 2029 first-round pick (top-10 protected), and a 2027 second-round pick. However, the Senators did not receive a current NHL player or a prospect in return, which has several fans up in arms.

But according to a recent report, the Senators were allegedly asking for one of the key contributors to Florida’s three consecutive appearances in the Stanley Cup Final.

The Ottawa Senators Allegedly Wanted A Stanley Cup Winner In Return For Brady Tkachuk

Reportedly, the Senators were seeking either Carter Verhaeghe or Anton Lundell in return for Tkachuk, but were rebuffed by Panthers GM Bill Zito, who has pulled off yet another massive trade for his club.

Verhaeghe has been one of the most important Panthers forwards during each of their three recent runs to the Stanley Cup Final, two of which resulted in championships. He made his presence felt during the postseason in a massive way in 2023 during Florida’s first run, which ultimately proved unsuccessful.

He tallied the game-winning and series-winning goal against the Boston Bruins in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal, ending what was a historic season for the Bruins and eliminating them in the opening round.

He scored a total of 25 goals during those three postseason runs, and has his name on the Stanley Cup twice as a result.

Meanwhile, Lundell, who began his NHL career in the 2021-22 season, is also a two-time Cup winner with the Panthers, having contributed 45 total points during the combined three runs.

Brady Tkachuk Is Now With The Florida Panthers

The departure of Tkachuk is just the latest in a string of notable players departing, which include longtime captain Daniel Alfredsson, subsequent captain Erik Karlsson, and forwards Matt Duchene and Mark Stone.

However, in the mind of GM Steve Staios, this doesn’t prove that high-profile players don’t want to play in Ottawa.

“If you think people don’t want to play in Ottawa, I don’t think that’s the case,” Staios said. “This was a unique situation. Clearly, you see where he was [traded] to, there’s a connection there.”

Staios also made it clear that he doesn’t intend on letting the Senators take a step backward as a team, and could very well use the draft capital they acquired from the Panthers as part of the Tkachuk deal to make a big splash themselves in the coming weeks and months.