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It can be easy to forget professional sports franchises are a business above everything else, and there aren’t many things that drive that reality home quite like the moves that transpire before the deadline. That included one transaction that saw the Senator send Josh Norris to the Sabres much to the chagrin of Brady Tkachuk, who was visibly emotional while discussing the departure of a longtime teammate who is also one of his best friends.
Friday marked the arrival of the NHL trade deadline, and we were treated to some blockbuster moves that saw the Bruins part ways with their captain after Brad Marchand was shipped off to the Panthers and Mikko Rantanen land a new deal courtesy of the sign-and-trade that sent him from the Hurricanes to the Stars.
The Ottawa Senators also decided to shuffle things up as they battle for a wild card spot in the hopes of snapping a seven-year playoff drought and did so by obtaining Dylan Cozens from the Sabres in exchange for Jacob Bernard-Docker and Josh Norris.
Norris was midway through his sixth season with the Senators, who were the only NHL team he’d played for since being selected in the first round of the draft in 2017 (he was initially scooped up by the Sharks before they traded the rights to Ottawa the following year while the center was still playing college hockey at the University of Michigan).
That initial trade was fantastic news for Brady Tkachuk, the Senators star who was selected by the team with the fourth overall pick in 2018 and was best friends with Norris thanks to the bond they formed during their time as teammates on the U.S. National Development Team.
At one point, Tkachuk and Norris were roommates who shared a house in Ottawa (they invited Tim Stützle to live with them when he made his Senators debut in 2021) and did a pretty killer rendition of “Mr. Brightside.” As a result, the trade that sent the latter to Buffalo was obviously a tough pill to swallow while marking the end of an era.
On Friday, Tkachuk understandably had trouble keeping his emotions in check while discussing the move with the media, bluntly stating “It sucks” and adding “I spent the last little bit with him and [will] take advantage of every minute the rest of the day.”
An emotional Brady Tkachuk shares his thoughts on now former teammate Josh Norris being traded to Buffalo pic.twitter.com/f8msV3N9Gv
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 7, 2025
Tkachuk is very aware these kinds of developments come with the territory when you’re an NHL player, but it’s hard not to feel for a guy who sounds just like someone who knows they’re about to put their dog to sleep.