Brady Tkachuk’s scoring surge in Florida has been loud enough on its own. But his latest postgame comments may have made the reaction waiting for him in Ottawa even louder.
Tkachuk has ripped off back-to-back hat tricks, piling up six goals over two games after a sluggish start to his first season with the Panthers. Then, after Thursday night’s latest three-goal outburst, he got the kind of reception that used to ring around Canadian Tire Centre: Panthers fans chanting “Brady!
Brady!” during his rinkside TV interview.
Tkachuk ate it up.
"I'm just so grateful to be here. I'm truly blessed to play in front of the best fans in the NHL! How good is this?"
That line lands just days before he returns to Ottawa on Wednesday, Oct. 21, for his first NHL game at Canadian Tire Centre in enemy colours since asking for a trade in the offseason. The setup was already tense. Now it feels even more combustible.
Some Senators fans had likely already made peace with the fact that the Brady Tkachuk chapter was over. Others could shrug off the comment as standard athlete-speak - the kind of praise every player gives the crowd in front of him. But for plenty of Ottawa fans, saying Florida has the NHL’s best fans this close to his homecoming may be hard to swallow.
There was at least some early comfort for Senators supporters when Tkachuk was slow to produce in Florida. Ottawa is off to a strong 6-2 start and sits in first place in the Atlantic, while their former captain was still searching for his rhythm with his new club. For a stretch, that at least gave the Sens side something to point to.
That feeling is gone now.
Tkachuk is scoring again, and the Panthers’ crowd is already embracing him the way Ottawa once did. Meanwhile, the Senators are planning to honour him with a tribute video Wednesday night, recognizing his eight seasons in Ottawa and what he meant to the franchise.
The tribute, though, is not likely to soften the response from the stands.
Tkachuk will be booed where he once was cheered. Ottawa has welcomed back former captains before - Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Erik Karlsson among them - but this one feels different. And after Thursday’s comments, any lingering goodwill from the fan base may be gone by the time he steps onto the ice next week.
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Senators Suddenly Have A Scoring Void A Former Canadien Could Fill
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That is why Patrik Laine has entered the conversation, with his camp and the Senators having discussed a possible fit. Laine would make sense as a shooter who could plug into the man advantage and give Ottawa another dangerous option, but there is still no agreement in place, and for now the idea remains just that - an idea the Senators may keep weighing as they look for help up front. [Read more 🡒]
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What makes the decision trickier is the roster math attached to it. Ottawa has to weigh whether to bring Johansson up and change the mix in goal, knowing the club would need a plan if it wants to move Ersson to Belleville, where waivers come into play. For a team trying to avoid a crease problem turning into a larger depth issue, the next move could say a lot about how aggressively it wants to solve the backup spot before it becomes harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Senators May Have Found An Answer In This Injury Shuffle
William Eklunds injury left Ottawa with a hole to fill, and Travis Green responded by shuffling the forward groups in a way that gave the Senators a different look against the Islanders. Stephen Halliday was bumped to the left side of the top line, while Ridly Greig slid into the middle on the fourth line, a tweak that helped settle the group in a tight game that the Senators eventually won 2-1 in a shootout.
The changes were more than just temporary patchwork, because Ottawa needed some kind of answer after losing a key winger and Greens lineup choices immediately put familiar names in unfamiliar spots. Hallidays promotion and Greigs move down the lineup gave the Senators a new center of gravity on a night when structure mattered, and it will be worth watching whether this alignment sticks as the team tries to navigate the weeks ahead without Eklund. [Read more 🡒]