Could the Brady Tkachuk Trade Open the Doors for the 2026 Penguins to Deal a Veteran to Ottawa?

By this point, everyone in the hockey world knows about the blockbuster trade made between the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers on June 21st, 2026. Former Senators captain Brady Tkachuk was traded to the Panthers to play alongside his brother Matthew Tkachuk. In return, the Senators received a huge haul of draft compensation: the 2026 ninth overall pick, the 2026 25th overall pick, a 2027 second-round pick, and a 2029 conditional first-round pick. Directly after the trade, reports are already blooming that the Senators “Don’t intend on taking a step back with this group,” according to general manager Steve Staios, and that they may even be revisiting a potential trade with the Penguins to acquire one of their veteran forwards, Bryan Rust or Rickard Rakell. Bruce Garrioch, a writer for the Senators, bolstered this idea when he stated, “The expectation is that the Senators will try to use some of these first-round picks to get a top-six forward in return. Staios is actively shopping those number nine and number 25 selections before the draft on Friday.” It’s no surprise that the Penguins, led by general manager Kyle Dubas, are looking to move up in the draft, and if they want to target that number nine pick, sending Rust or Rakell away might be the perfect way to do that.

Other reports have blossomed that Ottawa is looking into a possible trade for Dallas Stars left-winger Jason Robertson, the prolific forward, who is likely looking at $12 million a year, and would probably prefer to stay with a US-market team, having been born in California. Rust and Rakell, however, would be great fits in Ottawa, even with their age. The 34-year-old Rust has proven that he still has it, recording 65 points in each of the last two seasons, despite missing 11 and 10 games, respectively. He has no trade protection, consistently brings 25-30 goals to a Penguins team already filled with talented goal-scorers, and has a reasonable cap-hit of $5.125 million despite his exceptional two-way ability and forechecking power. Similarly, the Swedish-born Rakell has proved consistent over his last two seasons in Pittsburgh. Despite only playing in 60 games in 25-26, the former Anaheim Duck recorded 48 points, down from 70 through 81 games the year before. Rakell’s highly productive campaign last season would draw significant interest from Ottawa as a top-six scoring option for them. He also has a reasonable cap hit of five million, and if the Senators are not on his no-trade list, which includes eight teams, he seems to be the more likely candidate to be traded, simply due to Rust’s deep connection to Pittsburgh, routinely being named an alternate captain when Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, or Kris Letang are injured.

Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, is full of promising prospects who are impatiently waiting for their chance to shine in the Steel City. That doesn't mean that they can’t pursue another fantastic forward prospect in the draft if they can acquire the capital for it. While no official trade talks have started between the Pens and Sens, Ottawa showed interest in both Rust and Rakell during the regular season, but Pittsburgh chose not to deal them as it was fighting for a playoff spot. Now, however, as mutual interest is shared between Dubas and Staios, a trade seems much more likely. Staios has also explicitly said that this pick is almost certainly going towards a player trade, rather than keeping it or using it to move up in the draft. Rust and Rakell have been ​​on the trade block since the start of June, and with the 2026 NHL Draft just three days away, a move has to be made now if both teams want to benefit. Sure, the Sens and the Pens could both find other trade partners for that number nine pick, as well as Rust and Rakell, but why do that when a perfect trade has already presented itself to both teams? Time is ticking away, and a decision will be made soon, but until then, Penguins fans will have to hold their breath as they wait for a deal to be made.