Brady Tkachuk Takes No. 8 in Florida After 4-Pick Trade to Panthers

Q: After trading their future for Brady Tkachuk, can the Panthers afford to keep both brothers when his contract expires?

Yes — on the numbers available, Florida should be able to afford both Brady and Matthew Tkachuk when Brady’s deal expires, though it will depend on what else the Panthers do with the roster over the next two years. Brady has two seasons left on his current contract and is set to become an unrestricted free agent after 2027-28. His current cap hit is about $8.2 million. Matthew is already signed long term, through 2029-30, so Florida has cost certainty on one brother while planning for the other. The key factor is the rising NHL salary cap. The material provided projects the cap at roughly $104 million in 2028-29, with Florida carrying about $77.2 million in committed salary, leaving more than $42 million in space. Even using the more conservative projection cited for 2027-28, the Panthers would still have more than $33 million in room before filling out the full roster. That gives them a realistic path to give Brady a major raise and still keep Matthew. The bigger issue is not whether the Panthers can fit both Tkachuks alone, but whether they can do so while also paying for goaltending, depth, and any extensions for other core players. Florida also paid a steep futures price in the trade, which limits cheap young replacements. So the trade does not appear to make a future Brady extension impossible. If the cap keeps rising as expected, keeping both brothers looks financially manageable.

3 articles · Updated · Bleacher Report · Jun 22

Florida said Monday that Brady Tkachuk will wear No. 8 with the Panthers, switching from the No. 7 he used in Ottawa.
No. 7 was unavailable because Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov already wears it, forcing the newly acquired winger to change numbers.
The number reveal follows Sunday's blockbuster deal that sent Tkachuk to Florida for three first-round picks and one second-round pick.
That trade reunites Brady with brother Matthew Tkachuk and adds another major piece to Florida's push for a Stanley Cup next season.