The Ottawa Senators can be with out captain Brady Tkachuk for 6-8 weeks whereas he recovers from thumb surgical procedure on his proper hand, the staff introduced. Tkachuk suffered the harm within the Senators’ home-opener in opposition to the Nashville Predators on Monday.

Within the first interval of the Sens’ home-opener, Tkachuk was cross-checked into the boards by Predators defenseman Roman Josi, who was assessed a minor penalty on the play. Tkachuk returned to the sport in a restricted capability, however he was noticeably absent when Ottawa pushed to tie the sport late.

After additional analysis, it was decided that Tkachuk wanted surgical procedure to restore the thumb. He now faces an prolonged absence, and the Senators have to remain afloat with out one in all their finest gamers.

The No. 4 total decide within the 2018 NHL Draft, Tkachuk developed into probably the greatest gamers within the league. From 2021-24, Tkachuk eclipsed the 30-goal mark in three consecutive seasons. Final yr, Tkachuk ‘s offensive numbers dipped, however his five-on-five impacts have been fairly sturdy as he led Ottawa again to the playoffs for the primary time since 2017.

With Tkachuk out for as much as two months, the remainder of the roster must decide up the slack as a way to stay within the thick of the playoff race. Star heart Tim Stützle will clearly be key to that, however how a lot can the Sens get out of gamers like Dylan Cozens and Shane Pinto? Their depth can be examined in a aggressive Atlantic Division.