Photo credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images
Ottawa Senators forward Brady Tkachuk heads to the Chicago Blackhawks in a very wild trade proposal that’s recently captured the attentions of thousands across the web.
Brady Tkachuk and Chicago Blackhawks trade chatter has begun circulating once again on the web, and this time, it’s the biggest fantasy land of them all– for the Ottawa Senators.
The latest mock deal making the rounds came from Barstool Chief, who is usually good for loud takes, and not always bad ones.
This one is bad, because Chicago would be torching a serious chunk of its future.
Brady Tkachuk rumor meets Chicago Blackhawks reality
As a Hawks fan, I get the itch to picture Connor Bedard feeding Brady Tkachuk on the doorstep. The problem is the proposed deal reads like five years of drafting and developing, tossed into one box.
In ‘Barstool Chief’s’ mock deal, Ottawa would land Kevin Korchinski, Nick Lardis, Marek Vanacker, John Mustard, Tyler Bertuzzi, and a 2026 first and second rounder for Tkachuk.
Clearly, Chief is a bit imbalanced still from the Chicago Bears’ recent win.
Sens Get:
Korchinski
Lardis
Vanacker
Mustard
Bertuzzi
2026 1st (sens dont have a 1st currently)
2026 2nd
Blackhawks Get:
Brady Tkachuk
Korchinski was the seventh overall pick in 2022, Vanacker went 27th in 2024, and Lardis just scored 71 OHL goals recently.
The post even highlights that Ottawa «doesn’t have a first currently,» because the Senators were penalized and forfeited their 2026 first.
Alongside that pick and the lump sum of other assets added in, it’s a straight NHL franchise mode deal you would make when you were in your teenage years.
Tkachuk is awesome; he’s 26, he was drafted fourth overall in 2018, and he’s still in his prime for a power forward who lives in the crease. He put up 29 goals in 72 games last season, and his deal carries roughly an $8.2 million cap hit through 2027-28.
Bertuzzi being included is the tell, because you’d basically be swapping him out while also surrendering multiple premium prospects and picks.
Bertuzzi’s cap hit is $5.5 million, so Chicago would be paying twice, once in futures and again in cap flexibility.
If the Blackhawks ever swing big for Tkachuk, it should be about complementing Bedard’s pace with retrievals, net-front chaos, and forecheck pressure, not about gutting the pipeline that is supposed to keep the window open.
This is the kind of mock trade that’s fun for a scroll, then you close the app and remember rebuilding is supposed to be the point.
Previously on Chicago Hockey Insider