Brady Tkachuk was asked to pick one Florida Panthers teammate he was most excited to play with, but the newest member of the team couldn’t settle on just one. When he was pushed for an answer, however, Brad Marchand was the name that came first.
During the latest episode of Wingmen with Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, Tkachuk was asked who he was most looking forward to sharing a locker room or potentially a line with in Florida.
“Just so many great players, like, just look at the roster. Like, I’ll be happy to play with him. I’ll be lucky to play with him. Nobody’s more excited than me. I legit can’t wait, and you know what, whatever coach thinks is best for the team, Brady’s gonna do.”
When asked again to name one player, Tkachuk went with Marchand.
“Marchy, like, what a great career he’s had.”
Tkachuk then rattled off several other Panthers he is looking forward to playing with, including Sam Bennett, Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, his brother Matthew, Carter Verhaeghe, Eetu Luostarinen, Anton Lundell and Sam Lafferty.
Florida acquired Tkachuk from the Ottawa Senators in a June blockbuster. Tkachuk had served as Ottawa’s captain before the trade.
He remains under contract with the Panthers through the 2027-28 season on his seven-year, $57.5 million deal, which carries an average annual value of about $8.21 million.
Brady Tkachuk reportedly turned down a move to St. Louis
Brady Tkachuk reportedly had the chance to return to the St. Louis area before ending up with the Florida Panthers. The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford reported that Tkachuk rejected a trade that would have sent him to the Blues.
According to Rutherford, Tkachuk “didn’t want to come to St. Louis.”
That may come as a surprise given the Tkachuk family’s ties to the city. Brady and his brother Matthew grew up in Creve Coeur, a St. Louis suburb, while their father, Keith Tkachuk, played for the Blues. Matthew also has a home in the area and spends part of his offseason there.
The Blues had reportedly been interested in Brady before Ottawa traded him to Florida in June. Instead, the former Senators captain joined his brother in Florida, where Matthew is signed through the 2029-30 season.
Brady finished the 2025-26 season with 59 points (22 goals, 37 assists) in 60 games for Ottawa. He also spent the season trying to cut down on his penalties before the Senators moved him to the Panthers.
Edited by Sonali Verma