Matthew Tkachuk is fresh off his second consecutive Stanley Cup win with the Florida Panthers, and the community remembers the forward being joined by his family on the ice to celebrate. Keith Tkachuk, who retired in 2010 after 18 seasons in the league, continues to live vicariously through his sons, Matthew and Brady.
The trio is the cover of the NHL 26 Deluxe edition. The brothers idolized Keith growing up and were fueled by the desire to play like him on ice. Speaking about the cover feature, Brady makes his love and respect for Keith apparent. “It’s an honor to be featured on the cover. Having him standing alongside us makes the whole thing even better.” Keith shares a close relationship with his sons, even addressing rumors about Brady leaving the Ottawa Senators, paving the way for his son to clarify further.
Brady Tkachuk Sets the Record Straight About his Future at Ottawa
Brady had been caught in the vortex of trade rumors for a long time; He was most significantly linked with the New York Rangers. However, in an “ESPN interview with Greg Wyshynski”, Keith dismissed any possibility of Brady leaving the Senators. “But Brady loves it there. Brady has really cemented himself in the community. They’re a team on the rise. They got a great bunch of young players. They’re core players. The fans and the city itself treat him so well. He wants to be a big part of that moving forward. So I don’t think he’s going anywhere”.
Keith also mentioned that after Matthew’s move from the Calgary Flames, people assume that Brady will walk down a similar path. However, Matthew’s decision to part ways with the Flames was long in the making. On the other hand, Brady has no desire to leave the Ottawa outfit. Following his father’s initial comment, the 25-year-old has spoken up about his plans for the future.
“Obviously it’s a lie.”
Brady Tkachuk addresses the rumors that he wants out of Ottawa. pic.twitter.com/BK6ORDzclq
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 3, 2025
Brady admitted that the Senators’ playoff run was crucial to redeem the team’s reputation. “Yeah, I think we really needed to make the playoffs to show everybody that we’re a team that’s capable of that, but also capable of doing more than just making the playoffs.” Moreover, the playoffs also helped mitigate the incessant trade rumors circling Brady. “I think [that success] helped with all the speculation. When things aren’t going well, people are always assuming or trying to think in my shoes. But I was kind of never really in that thought process. It was all about sticking it out.”
MORE: Brady Tkachuk’s Father Outlines Strong Feelings Towards Teams ‘Soft Tampering’ Around Senators Star
Even though last season helped improve the Senators’ image by a mile, there is still work to do. As Brady stated, the goal is not merely to make the playoffs but to go beyond them. ” I think that we’re kind of just getting started with what we want to accomplish. Playoffs are great to get to, but that’s not our end goal. The sky’s the limit for our group.”
As the Senators pursue greatness, Brady will be at the forefront; the Arizona native continues to express his allegiance to the team unabashedly.
