For fans of the Ottawa Senators, finding a way to get excited come playoff season has been pretty difficult over the past seven years. There will always be some interest, but without a dog in the fight, it is hard for the Final to get your full interest. This season, the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers are facing off, and Senators fans should be hoping for a Panthers championship.
Senators Connections on Both Oilers and Panthers
It is always fun, or painful, to see what former players of your team are participating in the playoffs and competing in the Stanley Cup Final. For the Senators, there is a bit of a mark on both teams by players who once donned the red, black, and gold.
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The Oilers have defenseman Cody Ceci, who eventually found his way to the Oilers after stints with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins. While he isn’t one of the top defensemen, he has done his job in the playoffs. Finding the right pairing is always a struggle, but Ceci has been moved around a bit and has done his job.
Joining Ceci in Edmonton is Connor Brown. The once fan-favorite on the Senators has had a complex journey to get to this point. After contract uncertainties, the Senators traded Brown to the Washington Capitals before the start of the 2022-23 season, but Brown suffered a torn ACL and missed all but four games that season. He signed with the Oilers as a free agent in the 2023 offseason and struggled to return from that injury, but he still doesn’t look as he did before being hurt. He started trending in the right direction and is now a quality depth option for the club.
Moving on to the Panthers, the Senators have just one former player, and that is their most recent departure. Vladimir Tarasenko fell into the Senators’ lap after going unsigned at the beginning of free agency. He had a brief but enjoyable tenure with the Senators before telling Steve Staios he wanted to go to Florida at the deadline.
The final and most important connection is not a former player. It is Matthew Tkachuk. The brother of Senators captain Brady Tkachuk has now made the Stanley Cup Final two years in a row. After last year, Brady said that he was happy for his brother but needed to dial in on his own team and worry about the playoffs himself.
Matthew Tkachuk’s Success Fuels Brady
When the Senators were understandably missing the playoffs amidst a full rebuild, Brady was seen cheering for his brother while on the Calgary Flames. It has been harder since being dealt to Florida because they are a division rival. Of course, Brady will always cheer for Matthew’s success, but it is getting to the point now that Brady has to get frustrated with the lack of progression in Ottawa.
Some outlandish rumors started surrounding Tkachuk and his being traded out of Ottawa. Staios immediately shut this down, not once but twice. This team is being built around Tkachuk, and he is not available in any capacity.
Another couple of failed seasons and that conversation could change, but for now, watching his brother play within four games of hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup must be fuelling the fire inside him. While Brady will undoubtedly have other feelings for his brother, such as pride and excitement, there has to be some jealousy there, too.
The Senators have a whole new regime running things, and Tkachuk will be hungry to make his first playoff appearance. The 2024-25 season will be pivotal for Staios, Tkachuk, the Senators’ core, and the fanbase. Tempers will rise even more if Ottawa has another season like the one that just passed.
