The Ottawa Senators have been without captain Brady Tkachuk since he injured his thumb in a 4-1 loss to the Nashville Predators on Oct. 13. Cross-checked into the boards by Roman Josi early in the game, Tkachuk underwent surgery three days later and was expected to miss six to eight weeks.
Without their leader, the Senators started slow, going 1-2-1 after his injury, but have since bounced back with a strong 6-1-3 run since Oct. 23. The good news for fans is that Tkachuk’s recovery is going well, and his return looks to be right around the corner.
When Can the Senators Expect Brady Tkachuk Back in the Lineup?
Brady and his brother, Matthew Tkachuk, recently launched their new podcast, Wingmen, on Thursday. They became the first active NHL players to have their own podcast. Matthew is also not playing, recovering from offseason surgery, and hopes to return to the Panthers’ lineup before the New Year.
Brady also provided fans with a long-awaited update on his recovery process. He was grateful to have been able to skate just six days after the operation. “It’s not the worst thing ever, it’s torture, it sucks, on Thursday, I’m gonna be four weeks post surgery and luckily with the surgery I was able to skate six days after. So, I been gone probably three times, four times a week in the last three weeks and its been great, I got no stick, no pucks, I did 21 reps…”
When Matthew joked that Brady could be back in just a couple of weeks, Brady offered a positive update. “Yeah, I was able to actually stick handle last night in the shooting room,” Brady said. He revealed that his hands felt strong and pain-free after stick-handing.
He is also hopeful to rejoin team practices soon, perhaps as early as Friday, even if it’s just in a limited “shadow” role while. “I’ll be able to skate with the guys, as a like a shadow as I still working my hands, I probably able to shoot… 5-man breakouts, like I’m just trailing, I’m just getting back, and do look my condition after like where I’m at right now. 3 on 2, I’m just backchecking.” Brady said.
Based on his recovery progress, Tkachuk is likely about two weeks away from returning to the Senators’ lineup, a much-needed boost for the team.
Up next, Ottawa will host the Boston Bruins on Thursday as they look to keep their momentum going while eagerly awaiting their captain’s comeback.
