senators captain brady tkachuk champing at the bit to make his return
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brady tkachuk couldn’t have picked a better stage than the enterprise center for his return to the ottawa senators lineup.
the captain will make his return from surgery on his right thumb, which has kept him out for six weeks, when the senators face the st. louis blues on friday in his hometown at 4 p.m.
this is a best-case scenario for tkachuk.
“honestly, if it’s not playing in ottawa, this is at the top of the list,” tkachuk said during a zoom call with local reporters from st. louis on thursday. “we only come here once a year and i feel like it always happens around thanksgiving, which i’m very grateful for because a lot of my friends will be around this weekend.
“i think this has kind of made everything a little bit better, knowing that this is the day that i wanted to play and was pushing to play. i know that it’s going to be a special moment, just getting back to play the game i love in front of the people that i know and love.”
tkachuk suffered the ailment in the club’s home opener on oct. 13 and had the surgery on oct. 16. he is back exactly six weeks after dr. robert hotchkiss repaired the ligament.
he spent two weeks working on his power skating with coach shelley kettles and found that it was helpful.
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tkachuk took one final skate on thursday with winger kurtis macdermid and assistant ben sexton. tkachuk has been ramping up his activities in the past 10 days and started stickhandling two weeks ago.
fortunately, he has been able to be around his teammates throughout this period. he never has had an injury that has kept him out this long.
“i’m not going to lie to you, i’m not a fan of watching from up there,” tkachuk said. “it stinks when you’re not able to battle and compete with your teammates. you kind of ask them to do that and you’re not able to join them. that was probably the hardest part, the no-control factor.
“but i’m just grateful for the group, and being around them and them asking things when it came to mind. i’m super proud of them for the effort, and just how everybody elevated the standard. i’m just looking forward to joining what they’ve been building for the last six weeks and they’ve been doing an amazing job.
“i’m just excited to join them and elevate in any way i can.”
the senators finished with an 11-5-4 record in the 20 games they played without their top player, which is impressive. tim stutzle, drake batherson, shane pinto, michael amadio, claude giroux, jake sanderson, david perron and linus ullmark have stepped up their play in this stretch.
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coach travis green is a big believer in the “next man up” mentality and that has been the case for the senators.
“the biggest one for me is the maturity and finding ways to win,” tkachuk said. “there have been games where it hasn’t been the prettiest, but we’ve found a way to get a point or squeak out a way to win to get a big two points. that’s probably the biggest thing i’m proud of.
“that’s something that this group has built over the last six weeks. that’s just the mentality and the mindset. i just have to adapt to bench dynamics and in the locker room, analyzing and seeing what ways i can mould myself back into it and adapt to any situation. they’ve been building such a great thing over the last six weeks and i’m really proud of them.
“i just want to help out in any way that i can.”
green will have to determine where he wants to play tkachuk. tsn analyst mike johnson suggested on wednesday’s broadcast against the vegas golden knights that tkachuk on the left side of dylan cozens might make the most sense because the club has been using veteran lars eller there.
normally, tkachuk plays with stutzle, but he has enjoyed success with batherson and perron on the left. tkachuk said he understands it will take him some time to get up to speed after missing such a lengthy stretch.
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“it’s a new experience,” tkachuk said. “i’ve been hurt before, but i’m going to trust all the work that i put in: all the skating, conditioning and the bag skates, which will turn that steep hill into a steady road.
“honestly, don’t expect perfection right away. it’s about adapting to situations, the way the game is going, and i know what my mindset is going to be tomorrow, a simple and work ethic game. i’m not going to think about anything i can’t control, other than my compete level and being ready to play. i’m not going to give myself any excuses on the details.”
after skating in st. louis, tkachuk hosted the senators players and training staff for a team dinner at his parents’ home. his mother, chantal, and father, keith, were thrilled to have everybody around their table for thanksgiving.
everybody can be thankful that tkachuk will be back.
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