Story Summary
Tim Stützle says the Ottawa Senators will move on after Brady Tkachuk was traded to the Florida Panthers in June, and he does not expect the club to take a step back in the standings. Speaking to NHL.com at the European Player Media Tour, Stützle thanked Tkachuk for what he contributed but said the team is focused on its current roster and on reaching the playoffs for a third straight season.
Key Facts
– Brady Tkachuk was traded to the Florida Panthers in June.
– Stützle spoke to NHL.com at the European Player Media Tour and said, “It’s his decision…we’ve got to move on.”
– Stützle said he did not know Tkachuk had requested a trade and noted that teammates generally do not discuss those matters.
– The Senators have made the playoffs in each of the past two seasons but have not yet won a playoff round.
– General manager Steve Staios has kept faith in the current core around Stützle, Jake Sanderson, Dylan Cozens, Drake Batherson and Thomas Chabot, and added Andre Burakovsky and William Eklund.
– Ottawa will meet Brady Tkachuk and the Florida Panthers on 21 October.
IHM Discussion
Stützle’s comments frame the immediate narrative for Ottawa: the club must absorb the loss of a prominent captain and maintain forward momentum. He framed the trade as final and outside the dressing-room remit, calling Tkachuk “always a great teammate” and emphasising the Senators’ need to focus on the group that remains. That message is as much about on-ice performance as it is about dressing-room culture – Stützle repeated that the team has “a bunch of great guys” and that the room has “so many guys who lead the team well.”
First, management has retained a recognisable core centred on Stützle, Jake Sanderson, Dylan Cozens, Drake Batherson and Thomas Chabot. Second, the club added Andre Burakovsky and William Eklund as complementary pieces. Stützle’s public willingness to move on removes ambiguity about his own commitment to Ottawa and positions him as the principal voice of continuity.
That continuity matters because the Senators arrive at the 2026-27 season with a still-young spine that has taken the club to consecutive post-seasons. Stützle’s message is defensive of that progress: he does not expect a step back and he explicitly tied stability to the locker-room culture that he says the club has built and is proud of.
Why It Matters
How Ottawa responds to Tkachuk’s departure will shape expectations for the season. If Stützle and the retained core can replace the lost leadership and production at even close to the same level, the Senators remain contenders for another playoff spot. If they cannot, the club’s inability to win a playoff round will become a larger story under increased pressure.
Mini Q&A
Will the Senators take a step back without Brady Tkachuk?
Stützle said he does not believe the Senators will step back and that the team must move on while focusing on the roster they currently have.
Did Stützle know Tkachuk had requested a trade?
Stützle said he did not know Tkachuk had requested a trade and added that teammates do not generally talk about those discussions.
Who is the nucleus Ottawa is building around?
The club’s core is centred on Tim Stützle, Jake Sanderson, Dylan Cozens, Drake Batherson and Thomas Chabot, and the team added Andre Burakovsky and William Eklund as complementary additions.
When do the Senators play the Panthers?
Ottawa will face Florida and Brady Tkachuk on 21 October.
Coach Mark Comment
Stützle’s remarks make clear the onus on him as a leader will increase. That matters because leadership in a young dressing room is rarely concentrated in one person for long. The additions of Burakovsky and Eklund provide offence and depth options that can ease pressure on the core, but the Senators will depend on several players stepping into visible leadership roles rather than on a single successor to Tkachuk.
IHM Final View
Stützle’s public insistence that Ottawa move on sets a clear tone for the club: continuity, internal leadership and belief in the current core. That is a necessary starting point, but turning belief into postseason progress will require on-ice results and a distribution of leadership that replaces what the team lost in June.