Whip out your best ‘next-man-up’ cliché, cause you’re going to need it for the next month . . . give or take a day.
Ottawa’s heart and Ottawa’s soul – and I don’t believe we’re being overly dramatic in the assessment – will be docked on the sideline for the better part of four weeks. Yup, Brady Tkachuk’s wrist (or hand; they’re not exactly disclosing the precise ailment) did not react happily to being hacked/cross-checked on Monday afternoon by Nashville defender Roman Josi. Kind of a surprising move on Josi’s part, the all-star is not known for cheap shots, but this one had the appearance of one.
Regardless, Tkachuk’s absence during a key time in the schedule is going to hurt a team that he captains, and a team that relies on his brash play and timely goals.
It’s been that way in the nation’s capital for years.
He might not be Ottawa’s ‘best’ player, but he is easily its most important . . . the guy you just can’t afford to lose for any length of time.
Well, now the reality is here. Ottawa must plod along without him.
“It’s unfortunate. You never want to lose a player. You never want to lose a player of his stature,” Senators’ Head Coach Travis Green said on Tuesday. “That’s part of the game. We’re not going to sit and dwell on it. Like anyone else who gets hurt, you move on, and you move on quickly. Brady will be around our team and be the captain that he is, but he won’t be playing.”
Tkachuk did miss a full 10 games last season. The club played .500 hockey during his absence.
Other than 2024-25, the 26-year-old winger has been a steady example of health. Prior to last year, Tkachuk missed only four games in the previous three seasons. That’s remarkable in this day and age considering the speed and physicality of the brand.
His departure from the scene brings up a couple of thoughts. The first one that invaded my head was the old ‘have to avoid a slow start’ bugaboo that’s followed the franchise around for many of the previous campaigns.
The Senators have looked just-OK in their first three contests. The opening night smear that Florida laid on them wasn’t unusual; Florida does that to just about every opponent, despite who’s injured on their squad or not. The follow-up in Tampa was a much better result and performance. Monday’s loss to the Predators wasn’t particularly ugly.
Still, for an organization hell bent on taking that next step, a 1-2 record out of the gate does not sit right.
Lord knows, Ottawa Fan can tell you a continuation of sub-.500 hockey at this time of the season is a killer. This is a league that likes dishing out loser-points, and if you fall behind early, it’s nearly impossible to make up ground (unless your name is Andrew Hammond, of course).
The other thought that popped up was: So now we get to see how far the growth has proceeded with the rest of the team.
I like to get on Tim Stutzle now and then for the pouting and depending on Tkachuk to play personal-protector. Time for Tim to step up. This is an opportunity for the German swiftie to graduate on so many levels. It’ll be an interesting watch.
As for that time-honored sporting cliché, next-man-up? We’ll turn the steering wheel over to veteran Drake Batherson.
“[Tkachuk] is a big voice in this room, and he leads by example. We have a lot of older guys and guys who have been around who can step in and help out,” Batherson said. “At the end of the day, you can’t replace a player like that, but all you can do, every one of us (is) just play a little better and try to take over for what we’re missing from him as much as we can.”
THOUGHT, SEEN AND HEARD: Talking with a guy in our industry who knows his stuff and his take is he wouldn’t be shocked if the Maple Leafs missed the playoffs this season . . . Despite the win Tuesday over Nashville, there’s something out-of-sorts with the Buds early on. The drive and desire seem absent . . . If you pictured a Rick Tocchet type of team in your head, this rendition of the Flyers wouldn’t be it . . . Montreal is off to a quick 3-1 start. This is a fun team to watch develop . . . We’ll try to not get ahead of ourselves, but the Habs look like a team about to make an enormous jump . . . Les Canadiens have signed general manager Kent Hughes and hockey operations exec Jeff Gorton to multi-year contract extensions. This is what they call a no-brainer. Upper management’s done its work well in Montreal . . . Meantime, Buffalo’s Buffalo-ing once again. Have to feel for that fan base. Groundhog Day once again.
thegrossgame@yahoo.com
Photo: Courtesy NHL.com
