When the hockey gods got together and were creating a prototype hockey players straight out of the 1970s, Ottawa Senator fans didn’t ever imagine they’d be honoured by his resurrection for the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. But they were, and the one way to describe him from a hockey sense is that Brady Tkachuk is the ultimate X-Factor. Tkachuk is all about the fight and on the eve of his NHL Stanley Cup playoff debut, what better way to prepare ourselves for it than reminiscing on what makes us all so lucky to marvel at his body of work, literally throwing the body.
The Captain, the Man, Brady Tkachuk
Brady Tkachuk is the undisputed, uncontested leader of the Ottawa Senators. After all, he wears the ‘C’ for a reason, and a good one at that. He impact and career legacy expands exponentially as the team embarks on this post-season adventure. Furthermore, Brady is always stepping up for teammates. He’s never shy to drop the mitts and chuck ’em. But he’s also smart and with the playoffs upon us, unless he’s taking an equal important piece, perhaps a Jake McCabe or maybe a Matthew Knies, don’t look for him to putting down. In addition, Brady is always leading the Sens into scrums and throwing hits with reckless abandon.
How About Some Stats
His combination of points and PIMs is something unmatched in today’s game. Over the past four NHL campaigns, he’s averaged 33 goals, 322 shots, and 258 hits. The true unstoppable force.
Brady Tkachuk’s consistent offensive production is what makes him such a force. Along with throwing the body, constantly leading the Sens in hits, his offensive metrics are always a surety. Taking a look at expected goals, we see a reason why he’s such an offensive force to be reckoned with for opposition defences. The following list shows the top-two players on each of the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Sens. As a note, each of William Nylander and Knies land above Pinto. Also, for context, at Pinto’s position, there is a bit of a logjam.
- 1st – Auston Matthews – 41.1
- 4th – Brady Tkachuk – 36.7
- 14th – John Tavares – 32.4
- 79th – Shane Pinto – 24.5
Tkachuk’s ability to generate offence, seemingly by pure brute strength is remarkable. Once he gets the puck at the bottom of the circle, you know a net drive is coming. It’s predictable, and yet, unavoidable. That is, even for the best defenders in the game.
Brady’s play at the 4 Nations showed he can maintain his impact on a game against (fellow) top-end talent. He proved that his brand is an effective strategy, even up against the world’s best. It seemed this advantage he was creating had translated into personal confidence. Something that he carried with him back to his club side in the Canadian National capital city.
There’s Always More to the Story
Recently, there has been some concerns over Tkachuk’s health. Prior to the Sens regular season finale, Brady hadn’t played a game in April. Then, to make matters worse, he was clipped by an errand stick and missed the third period of that final game. But, thankfully, it was just precautionary. Brady is just fine. The truth of the matter is, Brady always plays banged up. In fact, missing 10 games this year is the most he’s missed in a season since his rookie season. Moreover, the idea it came late in the year means the Sens have a fresh Tkachuk. A fresh Tkachuk for the playoffs? The Leafs better hope they have a tungsten carbide chain to keep this terrier on a leash.
One positive for Ottawa is that they have a supporting cast behind Tkachuk. Dylan Cozens was a great pickup and tough to prevent from taking the puck to the net when he wants as well. Also, the defensive pairing of Tyler Kleven and Nikolas Matinpalo is a great up-and-coming duo. What they might lack in experience, they more than make up for in being instigators and help Brady tip the scales for Ottawa when the gloves come off.
In the end, the Sens will be in tough in the Battle of Ontario. Although one thing is for sure, the Ottawa Senators don’t need Brady Tkachuk at his best, because he’s always at his best. And they don’t win 82 games. If Brady is somehow not at his best, the Sens don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of prevailing in this or any series. They need the rest of the foot soldiers stepping up and coming up clutch when the chips are down on the table.
Main Photo Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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