Finally, the playoff drought is over for the Senators. It’s been 8 long years of abysmal performance and pitiful league standings in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. It has been most painful for the fans, who kept turning up again and again with unconditional support, hoping things would change for the better. And it finally has. They are in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs! And not surprisingly, at the center of this resurgence is Brady Tkachuk, the leader of the Senators pack.

The left winger has been the captain of the Ottawa Senators since the 2021-22 season. But what makes him special is the justice he does to the role of captaincy while carrying out his duty. As teammate Jake Sanderson perfectly summed it up, “He’ll do whatever it is for his country, for his team … he’s the heart and soul of our team.” The Senators know how valuable Brady Tkachuk is and how indebted they are to his contributions. Well, they try to show their appreciation the best way they can – by offering top dollars for their main man.

How much are the Ottawa Senators paying Brady Tkachuk?

Tkachuk has been with the Senators since the 2018-19 season. After an initial 3-year contract worth $10,275,000 and a signing bonus of $277,500, the Senators managed to tie down their talisman forward to a 7-year contract till 2028. But it wasn’t cheap. Not even close. But hey, it’s Brady Tkachuk – the star left winger who was nominated to the 2019 NHL All-Rookie Team. He can bring finesse to the ice rink as much as he can dish out hits like a bulldozer.

So, offering him a contract worth $57,500,000 wasn’t really an issue for the Senators. The Sens are paying him an average yearly salary of $8,214,286 over the course of his 7-year contract. The Canadian team really means their gratitude towards the 25-year-old, and to show that, they have promised the whole $57,500,000 contract value under guaranteed terms. You know what this means, don’t you? The Senators are in no mood to part with Brady Tkachuk.

So far, his career earnings from the Ottawa Senators’ contract payout stand at $34,275,000, with the skipper getting $10,500,000 in base salary for the 2024-25 season. By the time he reaches the end of his current contract, he will have earned $60,275,000 in total, including everything the Senators have paid him since 2018. Well, payouts like these scream only one thing. That the Senators deem Brady Tkachuk an integral non-negotiable player for them, who they want to build the team around, as they have been doing.

However, they cannot stop the rumor mills from churning out speculations, can they? Especially when there is a possibility of a power sibling team-up happening at the Florida Panthers. Need more hints? Keyword: Mathew Tkachuk.

The realistic possibility of the Tkachuk brothers playing for the Panthers

It’s a rare but beautiful sight to see Brady and Matthew Tkachuk teaming up. We got to see it in the 4 Nations Cup for team USA. Being good at ice hockey is a family thing for the Tkachuk, it seems. Keith Tkachuk himself was a devastating forward for the St. Louis Blues. And his sons have picked up the mantle from him. While Brady Tkachuk has been a settled leader for the Senators, Matthew Tkachuk has become a crucial name in the Panthers’ forward line.

No doubt, Matthew Tkachuk has a major role to play if his team is to retain the Stanley Cup. But it would help if his brother were by his side—“It was way more fun playing with him (Brady) than it is against him.” But wishes don’t make realities. Yes, Brady Tkachuk is entering a crucial period. From July 1st, 2025, the no-movement clause in his Senators contract kicks in. This means only he gets to decide whether he wants to leave or not.

But what if he does become magically available? Can the Panthers unite the Tkachuk brothers under the same franchise? Not with Brady’s salary cap hit reading at $8,205,714. The current cap space for the Panthers reads $7,762,500. And it gets far worse. $-499,710 – that’s the projected cap space at the end of the year for the defending Stanley Cup Champs. This just puts to bed any chances there could have been of seeing the Tkachuk brothers together in the 2025-26 season.

36-year-old Brad Marchand’s $6,125,000 cap hit is contracted to be off the Florida Panthers books after the ongoing season. And with a salary cap hike in question in the near future, maybe a possibility arises. But the Panthers have shown an inclination towards looking for a defenseman, which puts the Brady Tkachuk deal on the back burner. Well, the Sunshine State team can look into the long-term injury reserve (LTIR) thing if they are serious about a move for Brady.

Mathew Tkachuk, who is the left-winger for the Panthers, has been unavailable for a while. And with the playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning starting on April 22, the Panthers are in need of a left-winger. You mean someone like Brady Tkachuk? Well, general manager Bill Zito put his trust in Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe to fill in for Matthew. As such, Zito even extended the contracts of Reinhart and Verhaeghe, as well as Anton Lundell, which restricted the cap space in the first place.

So, unless they exploit the LTIR pool or make some drastic changes to the roster, which definitely won’t be preferred by Zito, the Tkachuk brothers wearing the Panthers jerseys in the upcoming season look unlikely. Still, never say never. Because the future comes with possibilities. And by 2028, a lot of options can open up.

The Panthers can free up substantial cap space by 2028, including goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, whose contract expires in the 2025-26 season. His $10 million cap hit will be free for redirection. And there are a few other players on the Panthers roster whose cap hit will be erased off the books before 2028, making enough space for what will be a huge move in the NHL.

Whatever happens, keep an eye on Brady Tkachuk for sure. It’s a very delicate situation for the Ottawa skipper. Right now, he is focused on the playoffs, but a player like him will want to be consistently playing in the postseason. And it just doesn’t sound right that this is just his first playoff appearance.