Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk will miss six to eight weeks after undergoing right thumb surgery, the team announced Thursday.
Tkachuk, 26, suffered the injury during the first period of Monday’s 4-1 defeat to the Nashville Predators when he banged his thumb into the back boards after being knocked down on a cross-check by defenseman Roman Josi, who was whistled for a penalty. A peeved Tkachuk, who removed his glove to test his thumb, tried to get to Josi after the play.
“We are going to miss him,” Senators coach Travis Green said Wednesday. “You don’t replace guys like that, but we’ve always had the mindset of next man up. It’s another opportunity. Teams are going to have injuries; that’s part of the NHL.”
Tkachuk has three assists in three games this season. He recorded 55 points last campaign, his lowest output since the 2020-21 season. However, Tkachuk leads the NHL in penalty minutes and ranks second in hits since making his debut in the 2018-19 campaign.
“Obviously, that’s a huge part of our lineup, our captain and a guy that plays the game hard, so we all know that we’ve got to bring our A game,” said forward Dylan Cozens. “We’ve got to play hard. We’ve got to step up while he’s out.”
Tkachuk’s injury adds to a rough start for the Senators, who’ve opened the season 1-3-0. They’re coming off a campaign in which they made the playoffs for the first time in eight years.
He is expected to be back in time to play for the U.S. Olympic team in February, according to ESPN.
