By Jordan Long
The Ottawa Senators are one of the surprise teams to begin the NHL season. They were expected to be the worst team in the NHL after trading defenseman Erik Karlsson to the San Jose Sharks. The Senators sit at 3-2-1 for 7 points. They will be without the services of rookie forward Brady Tkachuk for a month. He tore a ligament in his leg.
The Senators drafted Tkachuk 4th overall in this years’ NHL Draft. They were hoping to have his scoring ability. Tkachuk played one season at Boston University where he added 8 goals and 23 assists for a total of 31 points. He helped Boston reach the Northwest Regional Final before falling to Michigan 6-3. Michigan ended up losing in the National Semifinal to Notre Dame.
Tkachuk appeared in 4 games this season. He has been the skater the Senators thought they drafted, playing well 5 on 5 and the power play. Tkachuk scored 3 goals and added 3 assists for 6 points, ranking 2nd in the NHL in rookie scoring. He scored 1 goal and 1 assist on the power play.
The Senators know this is a large loss for their offense. Tkachuk is one of their fastest skaters. His speed allows him to skate past defensemen and shoot the puck on net. If he doesn’t score, he creates rebound opportunities for his teammates or he will pass to a teammate for a wide open look at the net, ending in goals.
The Senators hope they can keep their play up while Tkachuk is out. They can’t look back and say this injury was the turning point to the season if they fail to reach the postseason. Hopefully, they can stay in a playoff position in the Eastern Conference for the next month. If not, it could be a long month without Tkachuk in the lineup.
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