Danny McCloskey
With just over a week to go in the NHL’s regular season, the Ottawa Senators are in a tight race for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Two storylines have dominated the headlines for the Sens this season. First, goaltending, with most of the conversation centering around what’s going on with Linus Ullmark. The second has been in regards to Brady Tkachuk, both on and off the ice. So what’s the deal with Tkachuk, and what does the future hold? Let’s dive into the details.
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Brady Tkachuk by the Numbers
Here are Tkachuk’s numbers this season:
- 57 games, 22 goals, 54 points, 17:05 time on ice/game
That puts Tkachuk at 0.39 goals per game and 0.95 points per game. Over the three previous seasons, here were Tkachuk’s averages:
- 0.43 goals per game, 0.90 points per game
His production is more or less in line with years past. Where his game has differed, though, is physically. Take a look:
- This Season: 9.24 hits/60 minutes, 2 major penalties, 3.79 shots/game
- Average From Previous Three Seasons: 10.43 hits/60 minutes, 6.3 major penalties, 4.25 shots/game
Tkachuk’s Time as a Senator
Here’s where Tkachuk deserves the benefit of the doubt. Coming into this season, Tkachuk had played 500+ games as a Senator over the course of seven seasons. During that time, the Senators made the playoffs only once. Tkachuk’s effort was never in question, even while playing meaningless games to finish off most of those years. During that time, Tkachuk registered 1,981 shots and 1,759 hits. Those totals ranked fourth and second among all NHL players during that time. His 750 penalty minutes ranked first, and his 38 major penalties tied for seventh.
Tkachuk was viewed as the ultimate competitor. Sure, his defensive play was mediocre, but that was an issue with the whole team. Most people had the same thought: Put the right coach in place and surround Tkachuk with enough talent, and he would be the perfect captain to lead a team in the playoffs. That belief was only furthered with Tkachuk’s high level of play at the 4 Nations Face-Off last year. Then, in the playoffs for the first time, Tkachuk scored four goals and seven points in six games.
Reasons for Tkachuk’s Lesser Play
All of a sudden this season, Tkachuk’s play has been noticeably less physical. There are reasons for this, though. Tkachuk missed 20 games early in the season with a right hand injury that required surgery. He quite literally was unable to fight for quite some time after his return. For a player whose game is predicated on hitting, fighting, and shooting, this injury was a brutal blow to his status as one of the league’s premier power forwards.
It seems obvious, too, that the Olympics were on Tkachuk’s mind. Go ahead and use this against him if you want, but it’s not strange for a player to take pride in representing their country, especially after years without NHL players participating at the Olympics. In Tkachuk’s case, he was also chasing a gold medal alongside his brother. Inevitably, he achieved that goal. Here are his numbers since that tournament:
- 20 games, 8 goals, 17 points, 8.95 hits/60, 2 fights, 3.6 shots per game, 17:06 time on ice/game
He registered points in 14 of the 20 games and sits one point off the team lead during that stretch. Like the rest of his season, his physical game is what’s been lacking, although he has returned to fighting. Physical play, though, takes an obvious toll. That’s where looking at his brother can help.
Comparisons to His Brother Matthew
At one point in his brother’s career, Matthew was the talk of the hockey world for the wrong reasons. He was suspended three times in a short timeframe: two games in March of 2017, one game in November of 2017, and one game in December of 2017. It was at that point that Nazem Kadri, of all people, gave him the following advice: “Wake up.” At that same time, Flames GM Brad Treviling stood beside Matthew Tkachuk at a press conference, with Matthew looking like a disappointed son with his head down as his dad-like figure spoke to the media.
Matthew came to realize that he needed to play with more maturity. Be a pest, sure, but understand that he’s much more valuable when he’s actually on the ice. He’s gone on to win two Stanley Cups and has only been suspended once in the time since. Including the playoffs, Matthew had 14 major penalties in 308 games with the Flames. He’s at 9 in 311 games with the Panthers. Is it unreasonable to suggest that Brady is trying to play with more maturity? Perhaps it’s simply a matter of Brady finding the right amount of physicality to balance staying on the ice with being the physical leader that the fanbase has come to expect.
Blocking the Outside Noise
Brady Tkachuk is a unicorn. You simply do not see many 6’4″, 225 lb power forwards who can influence a game both physically and offensively like he can. In that sense, he’s an obvious dream acquisition for other organizations and fans. There’s also the brother factor. Whenever there are hockey brothers, trade rumours will persist that they will end up playing with each other. Look at the Staals and Hughes’ for other examples. Then there’s the fact that Tkachuk plays in Canada. Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid are often put in trade rumours as well, because surely no one wants to play in Canada for too long, right?
The point is, it’s all just outside noise. Whether a Rangers reporter, a Bruins fan podcaster, or any other fanbase wants to put Tkachuk into trade rumours simply does not matter. I also wouldn’t put too much thought into his dad, Keith, giving back in my day stories on the Tkachuk’s “Wingmen” podcast. It’s not up to Brady to control his dad’s thoughts, just like it wasn’t up to Matthew when his dad called the Panthers soft back in 2023.
Tkachuk is signed until the end of the 2027-28 season. That means it’s not until the 2027 offseason that the Senators can negotiate a new contract with Tkachuk. Until then, there’s no need to worry. Next season, unless he demands a trade, Tkachuk will be with the Senators. Tkachuk went through a full rebuild with this team. He’s become a big part of the community. He wears the C with pride. It would be extremely surprising for him to demand a trade now, right when the Senators have shown themselves to be competitive.
Final Thoughts
There are enough outside voices that want to tell the hockey world that Tkachuk won’t be a Senator for long. Here’s the truth: Tkachuk signed long term during a rebuild. He has led the Senators into battle time and time again. He sits fourth in franchise history in goals and fifth in points. He’s the second longest serving captain in Sens history, behind Daniel Alfredsson.
While this has not been a typical Brady Tkachuk season, he deserves the benefit of the doubt given his history of success, to go along with an injury that required surgery earlier in the season. Even in a lesser season, he’s almost a point per game player. He’s built to be a big game player, and the biggest games of the year are here. Given all the outside noise, the Senators fanbase needs to rally behind Tkachuk now more than ever.
