$76,000,000 Golden Knights star makes feelings known about ex-teammate Brady Tkachuk

Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone spoke about Brady Tkachuk on Tuesday. They were teammates in Ottawa before Stone was traded to Vegas in 2019. He later signed an eight-year, $76 million contract with the Golden Knights, which runs through the 2026-27 season.

Stone said he respects the Tkachuk brothers but admitted that Brady isn’t an easy player to face.

“I love both those guys, but I'd be lying if I said I wanted to play every night against them," Stone said (38:20), via the 'Coming In Hot Podcast.'

"That's for sure. I mean, there were some nights I didn't even want to be on Brady's line in Ottawa, because he knew you were going to have to be in a scrum every second whistle. You know, like, ‘Alright, buddy. Let’s just — let’s just relax here.’”

Stone also praised Tkachuk’s growth and maturity.

“I think he's starting to realize how valuable he is on the ice,” Stone said. “He's their engine.”

Stone believes the tough seasons early in Tkachuk’s career helped shape his leadership.

“Even the negatives probably put it in his mind like, 'I don’t want to be back there,'” Stone said.

Stone has played 13 NHL seasons, six with the Senators, six with the Golden Knights and one with both teams. In the 2024-25 regular season, he posted 19 goals and 48 assists for 67 points and had a plus-22 rating. In the playoffs, he added four goals and four assists in 10 games before he was sidelined with an injury.

Tkachuk spoke in 2019 about Stone’s role in helping him adjust to the NHL.

“He welcomed me into his home when he didn’t have to,” Tkachuk said, via NHL.com. “He kind of took me under his wing, and it means so much to me.”

Both players serve as captains and play important roles on their teams.

“He's really done a good job at getting through that adversity," Stone said.

Brady Tkachuk motivated by brother Matthew Tkachuk’s Stanley Cup wins

Brady Tkachuk, who helped the Senators reach the playoffs last season, had 29 goals and 26 assists in the regular season. In the playoffs, he added four goals and three assists in six games against the Maple Leafs. His best performance was in Game 5, where he had three points.

Although Ottawa lost the series, it was still a step forward. Tkachuk said he looks up to teams like the Panthers and wants the Senators to play with a similar style.

“They’re such a beast of a team,” Tkachuk said in June, via The Hockey News.

His brother, Matthew, has won two Stanley Cups with Florida, and that has motivated Brady more.

“If that’s the team we can be in Ottawa, that would be a pretty good team,” he added.

Brady hopes Ottawa can continue improving and build a team that would compete at the highest level.