A lot of leaders yet no egos on Panthers. ‘All the guys in our room get it,’ Zito says
Brady Tkachuk was a captain for the Ottawa Senators for five seasons before being traded to the Florida Panthers on Sunday. Brad Marchand wore the “C” with the Boston Bruins before being dealt to Florida at the 2025 trade deadline. Matthew Tkachuk and Seth Jones were alternate captains at their previous stops, the Calgary Flames and Chicago Blackhawks, respectively, with Matthew Tkachuk continuing to hold that title with Florida. Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett and Gustav Forsling easily could have letters on their Panthers sweaters now, too, and no one would argue with the decision.
The Panthers have more than enough leadership to go around in their dressing room beyond captain Aleksander Barkov and alternates Matthew Tkachuk and Aaron Ekblad. It’s a testament to the type of roster president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito has constructed.
And it, Zito attests, is a testament to why the Panthers are set up for long-term success.
There’s no ego. There’s no push for individual praise. The focus on “we over me,” if you will, is a driving force in the dressing room.
And while Brady Tkachuk is the latest star to join the Panthers during the past few years, he’s also the latest player with those intangibles to bolster that mentality as Florida continues its push as perennial Stanley Cup contenders.
“All the guys in our room get it,” Zito said. “They understand that all those qualities and characters that would allow you to be considered to be a captain of a team also allow you to be part of a team. They understand that the team is bigger than any individual, and I think if one thing speaks to our group, it’s the way that they treat each other — the way that they treat all of us. We don’t really have big stars who command that leadership role. It’s almost by committee. Different players and different people step up and are the guy when it’s right. There’s no way to define it. It happens organically.”
Brady Tkachuk saw how the Panthers operated from afar while he captained the Senators. Of course, the fact that his brother is one of the integral pieces of that operation helps with understanding their process. That inside knowledge, he hopes, will help simplify his transition to the Panthers.
“I feel like it’s known around the league. It’s probably the closest group in the league,” said Brady Tkachuk, who recorded 463 career points in eight seasons with Ottawa but never made it out of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs in two postseason appearances. “Everybody’s always doing stuff together, home and away, and I think everybody knowing it’s just by-committee. Everybody’s a part of the puzzle. Their sole focus is winning, and that’s something that I’m just excited to join into and help out in any way from my past experiences as a captain and different things that I’ve experienced throughout my hockey career. I’m just really excited for this next chapter and being a part of this decisive group.”
Matthew Tkachuck, speaking on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday with Brady Tkachuk shortly after his brother’s introductory press conference concluded, said the type of environment the Panthers have created should help Brady thrive in the next chapter of his career.
“He had to wear a lot of hats playing up in Ottawa,” Matthew Tkachuk said. “Being a young captain, playing in Canada, just dealing with like a lot of stuff, whether it’s in his control or not, which is, sometimes a little bit unfortunate in the business. The best part about playing down here — and this might sound like a little bit bad, but we’re really just like pieces of meat down here. You have your role. You wear one hat. You don’t have to do somebody else’s job. It’s just a total group effort. We’re a deep team. It’s the greatest place to live ... and just life’s good. The team’s fun. There’s nobody fighting to be the alpha.”
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