The Ottawa Senators are convinced they can follow their leader to achieve playoff success. The heat has been turned up on captain Brady Tkachuk since the Senators were eliminated from the playoffs by the Carolina Hurricanes in a four-game sweep on Saturday, but his teammates are confident this group can get the job done.
Teammates rally around Tkachuk
“First of all, it’s extremely tough, the stuff he does all the time. And he became a captain young, and that’s hard for anyone becoming a captain in the Canadian market,” centre Tim Stutzle said of Tkachuk. “I feel like he puts a lot of pressure on himself, as we all do. I can relate to him in a lot of ways, that way. And he wants to win too. He cares. It’s hard, but he’s taking tremendous steps as a leader, and he’s just gonna get better.”
Tkachuk was not present for the exit meeting on Monday as he left Ottawa immediately after Game 4 to be with his wife Emma in New Jersey for the birth of their second child. The speculation surrounding Tkachuk is what coach Travis Green would describe as “white noise.” He has two years left on his contract and a full no-move clause, meaning he controls his future. There is no need to trade Tkachuk, and it is likely he will be back next season.
“We’re lucky to have him,” said winger Drake Batherson.
Looking ahead to next season
There will be changes in the off-season, but the players are determined that they can make the next step if the core is kept together. “This year, we dug ourselves in that hole earlier in the season and in the last two months, we’re playing playoff hockey, and played really good hockey to get in, and something that we should be proud of. But sitting here right now, it’s not what we have planned,” veteran centre Claude Giroux said.
That is because the Senators were knocked down against the Hurricanes in a series everybody expected to go the distance. Next season, they believe they can get back up again. Thomas Chabot, the club’s alternate captain, says the road to respectability is not always easy. He says the Senators are a tight-knit group and want to achieve the next step together.
“Sometimes you just have to get punched right in the face — and that’s kind of what we did this year. And it hurts, and it should hurt, and it will hurt for many, many more weeks, and it should be, that’s the way it really should be,” said Chabot, who noted his broken arm will not heal for another three weeks. “But this group, man, like guys, everybody cares so much, and seeing the look on the guys after the game and still being in the room, and nothing was being said. I know coming back next year, this one will be a good reminder for us.”
Exit meetings and future plans
The Senators gathered at the Canadian Tire Centre on Monday to meet with Steve Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager, along with head coach Travis Green and his staff, before heading their separate ways for a long summer. The team is determined to learn from this playoff experience and come back stronger next season.
