OTTAWA — Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk had to hold back his tears after the Senators made a big splash before the NHL trade deadline.
The Senators shipped out forward Josh Norris — Tkachuk's longtime friend — and defenceman Jacob Bernard-Docker to acquire centre Dylan Cozens and defenceman Dennis Gilbert in a blockbuster deal Friday.
"It’s pretty tough," an emotional Tkachuk said moments after the trade, which comes amid Ottawa's push to end its seven-season playoff drought. "It sucks, losing a guy like that. Obviously everybody knows how much he means to me."
Tkachuk and Norris had a long history as teammates on the United States National Team, including a bronze medal at the 2018 world junior hockey championship, before joining forces on the Senators.