As the Ottawa Senators take the ice in preparation for the 2026-27 NHL season, they will be without Brady Tkachuk for the first time since 2018.
And for head coach Travis Green, it marks his first season at the helm of the Senators without Tkachuk entrenched among his top forwards.
So, as Green spoke with reporters Wednesday ahead of the new season, it's no surprise that Ottawa's off-season blockbuster that shipped Tkachuk to join his brother in Florida was a hot topic.
"It's been a while now. I have talked about it a few times, but I think it's disappointing," Green said about Tkachuk requesting a trade. "Anytime a player has to be traded or moved, it doesn't matter who it is, I think as a coach you do get disappointed. And when it's a captain and someone you built a relationship with, that would be the first thing that came to mind."
Tkachuk ultimately requested a move after the Senators were bounced in the first round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season — this time in a sweep at the hands of the eventual Stanley Cup-champion Carolina Hurricanes.
According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman at the time of the trade, Tkachuk wouldn't commit to a long-term future with Ottawa in the aftermath of the post-season exit, leading the former captain to submit a four-team (Carolina, Florida, Minnesota and Vegas) trade list ahead of the draft combine.
Then came the actual trade, as Florida sent two first-round picks in this summer's draft, a 2029 first and two 2030 second-round picks to land Tkachuk's services.
Green shared Wednesday that he spoke with the 27-year-old after the trade and that the two had a "really good" conversation.
"I'm not going to talk about what we actually talked about," he added. "But we had a good relationship, and I enjoyed coaching him and I think he enjoyed playing under me. But things happen in this game and in this business."
