Legislators Consider Benching Forward Brady Tkachuk Prior to Postseason
After securing a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2017 on Tuesday, the Ottawa Senators are contemplating the possibility of resting injured captain Brady Tkachuk for their remaining four regular-season games.
Tkachuk, who is 25 years old, has been absent from the past five games due to an upper-body injury sustained from a hit by Pittsburgh defenseman Ryan Graves during the Senators' 1-0 overtime loss on March 30.
On Wednesday, Senators general manager Steve Staios stated that Tkachuk may have played if the playoffs had started on Thursday, but he couldn't give a definite answer.
Also see this picks:
Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Pick & Prediction APRIL 30th 2025
Also see this picks:
St. Louis Blues vs. Winnipeg Jets Pick & Prediction APRIL 30th 2025
\"(Tkachuk) is making progress,\" said Staios, who also serves as the team's president of hockey operations. \"Now that we've secured a playoff spot, I think every team has these discussions. Should we rest players? How do we manage that? We haven't come to a decision yet, but in my opinion, we want to keep the team moving forward and competing at a high level as we head into the playoffs. However, these are discussions we will have regarding the lineup for the final four games.\"
Tkachuk leads the team with 29 goals and 123 penalty minutes, as well as 26 assists, a plus-2 rating, 33 blocks, and 227 hits in 71 games.
The Senators (42-30-6, 90 points) currently hold the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Their remaining regular-season schedule includes a home game against the Montreal Canadiens on Friday, followed by home games against Philadelphia on Sunday, Chicago on Tuesday, and Carolina on April 17.
Ottawa drafted Tkachuk with the fourth overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, a year after losing to the Penguins in the conference finals. He made his NHL debut in 2018 and has recorded 191 goals, 404 points, 750 penalty minutes, 193 blocks, and 1,758 hits in 511 regular-season games.
