Aarif Deen
The Florida Panthers made two huge trades on Sunday, and one of them is one that people have been talking about for months. Where do the Ottawa Senators go from here? What about the Panthers, who also need a goalie and have too many forwards?
All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — June 22.
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Around The NHL
Florida Hockey Now: The Florida Panthers were the headliners in the hockey world on Sunday. Their first trade sent Mackie Samoskevich to the Seattle Kraken in a deal that I thought mirrored the Alex Newhook return in 2023. We all could feel the Panthers were up to something, but I don’t think anyone could predict what they were going to do on the same day, this early in the offseason.
Hours later, a bombshell from Pierre LeBrun sent the hockey world into a frenzy. Brady Tkachuk is joining his brother, Matt, in Florida. And the return includes one of the picks they got in the first trade.
The Panthers got better. But, full disclosure, I’m not a big fan of Brady Tkachuk. The baggage that followed him this season with Ottawa (mainly the podcast stuff) far outweighed what he brought to that team. I don’t think Brady is anywhere close to as good as his brother, nor do I think he’s that level of superstar.
The Panthers paid a ton for him. Which, good for Ottawa. But I would like to see Brady tone down some of the showman stuff and really focus on playing hockey as an exceptional complementary piece. (Remember, I thought the fight with Jordan Staal to open Game 1 in the first round was unnecessary and hurt his team.)
He’s a great hockey player when he focuses on the things that make him great. I think having him get lost a little bit in the shuffle in Florida, among a team full of alphas and leaders, will do him good. He just wasn’t cut out to be a leader in Ottawa. It didn’t feel like he was succeeding in that role, and I bet some people on the Senators’ side are happy to see him gone, even if it means losing out on such a great player.
I’m also really interested in seeing what Ottawa does now that it holds picks No. 9, 25, and 32. They can’t trade the 32nd overall pick (per NHL rules after they gave back that pick). But the ninth and 25th pieces could be worth a lot, and likely will help fill the gaping hole in the lineup that Tkachuk left behind.
Carolina Hockey Now: Recapping a fun Stanley Cup parade for the 2026 champions.
Philly Hockey Now: Who could be an option for the Flyers in the second round of the draft on Saturday?
San Jose Hockey Now: The Sharks have the No. 27 pick in the draft. One scout has thoughts on who they can select in that spot.