Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk has announced that he plans to return to the lineup on Friday when Ottawa takes on the St. Louis Blues. Tkachuk confirmed the return on Wednesday’s episode of Wingmen, the podcast he co-hosts with his brother Matthew.
“I’m feeling great,” Tkachuk said on the episode. “The no contact jersey is coming off. I’m ready to take some bumps, take some hits and I’ve got a little battle in me.”
“I can’t believe I’ve got six periods left and then we’re back. I’ve got a couple of bag skates, I’ve got to get through those. We have to check some boxes, but everything looks good for Friday. The boys have been playing great. I’m just excited to join them.”
The 26 year old has been sidelined since early October after sustaining a thumb injury which required surgery. Despite not having their captain for 19 of their 22 games to date, Ottawa has managed to go 11-7-4 to start the season, currently sitting in 3rd place in the Atlantic Division.
In fact, as of this writing, they’re the only Canadian team currently in a playoff position if the season were to end today. The American born winger has had plenty of praise for his teammates compete level despite missing one of their top forwards for most of the season to date.
“I think they’re kind of doing whatever it takes to win,” he said. “The compete and will to win level is the highest I’ve ever seen, so just looking to add to that when we get back and join what they’ve built the last five weeks…Just looking to add and elevate and help the boys as much as I can.”
Although he’s been injured, Sens GM Steve Staios told reporters that Tkachuk has been heavily involved with the team on and off the ice as he recovers.
“Brady’s done all he can to continue to lead, even with his injury, being in and around the group,” Staios said a few weeks prior. “Credit to the group. We know how much of an impact that he is for us as a team, yet our players took it upon themselves to step up and continue to play well.”
Originally selected 4th overall by Ottawa back in 2018, Tkachuk has amassed 407 points (191G, 216A) across 515 games played at the NHL level. His best season came in 2022-23 when he was a better than a point per game player with 83 points across 82 contests.
The 6’4″ forward brings some added sandpaper to the Senators lineup, having registered in excess of 100+ penalty minutes in all but 2 of his pro seasons to date.
Ottawa will play the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday before travelling to Tkachuk’s hometown of St. Louis on Friday for his return to the lineup.
Photo: Jenn G. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.