KANATA, Ont. — Ottawa Senators fans can do their worst; it’s not going to change the way Brady Tkachuk feels about them or the city and team he used to represent.
Tkachuk, the former Senators captain, is facing his old squad for the first time as a member of the Florida Panthers on Wednesday night. There’s an overwhelming sense fans at Kanata’s Canadian Tire Centre will not be kind to the guy who informed the club last summer — with two years remaining on his contract — that he would not be re-signing in Ottawa.
No matter how ferocious the boo’s, though, Tkachuk says it won’t sway the way he thinks about the place he landed as a 19-year-old rookie in 2018.
“Everybody is entitled to their opinions, whatever their emotions may be, they’re entitled to it,” Tkachuk told a large gathering of media early Wednesday afternoon. “For me, it’s not going to be taken personally. I know how I feel about this city, about this fanbase and how thankful and appreciative I am. No matter what the reaction is going to be, that’s not going to change how I feel about this city and this fanbase.”
While Tkachuk appeared at ease recalling his time with the Sens and his ultimate departure from the squad, he wasn’t about to share any details in terms of precise reasons why he desired change.
“I’ve talked about it a lot that, there are professional [and] personal reasons why I wasn’t going to re-sign here,” he said. “A lot of those things remain private between [Senators GM Steve Staios] and I and it’s going to remain private.”
Tkachuk, of course, joined his older brother Matthew on the Panthers when the Senators traded him there in late June. Tkachuk also has a high-profile dad in Keith Tkachuk, a Hall-of-Fame player who starred in the NHL during the 1990s and 2000s. In late September, Senators owner Michael Andlauer suggested Brady’s family played a role in him wanting to join Matthew in Florida, noting, “Blood is thicker than water.”
On Wednesday, Tkachuk brushed aside any notion he was directly influenced by those around him.
“He’s entitled to his opinion,” Tkachuk said, acknowledging he’d seen Andlauer’s words. “I know it was 100 per cent my decision. I’m a big boy, I can make decisions for myself and my family. I don’t need to be influenced by other people.”
While Tkachuk expressed little in the way of regrets despite how strained the relationship between he and the team seemed by the end, there was one element of the discourse around his departure that irked the 27-year-old.
“There is some stuff out there that wasn’t true and questioned where my mind [was] at for the last little bit [in Ottawa],” he said. “That was probably the hardest part of this process, with how untrue that was. I know, for me, I was able to look myself in the mirror up until that final game knowing that [I’ve] put so much blood, sweat and tears into this organization. So that was the toughest part, getting through that and getting to the next chapter.”
Whatever pent-up anger fans feel, you can bet it will blast out when the organization cues up a video tribute to Tkachuk early in the contest. Senators head coach Travis Green knows it’s going to be an emotionally charged barn, but isn’t losing sleep over the notion it will be an overwhelming wave of negativity aimed at Tkachuk.
“I don’t worry about things we don’t control,” Green said. “Obviously Brady played here a long time, there’s going to be a lot of energy and emotion in the building.”
For his part, Tkachuk said he hasn’t let himself think too much about how he’ll be received by the Ottawa faithful. Either way, he’ll leave Ontario with memories firmly entrenched.
“I don’t know what the exact emotion is going to be, but I just know how thankful and appreciative I am for everything that’s happened in the last eight years,” he said. “I loved not just my time on the ice; I loved everything about the community.”
Return of a different kind
While much of the focus on Wednesday will obviously be on Tkachuk’s presence as a Panther, the Senators are welcoming a huge part of their lineup back to the fold. Defenceman Jake Sanderson, who has not played since leaving the first game of the year in Toronto very early on, is set to jump back on the ice.
“I feel good,” said Sanderson, who’s returning from a lower-body ailment. “Took my time [coming back] and feel good to play.”
Ottawa centre Tim Stutzle, who’s off to a fantastic start with 12 points in nine outings, couldn’t be happier to have Sanderson back — especially with captain and defenceman Thomas Chabot now on the shelf — for such a high-stakes game, as the Sens try to beat Brady and get back in the win column following a loss to the lowly Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.
“It’s awesome,” Stutzle said of Sanderson coming back. “I’ve said it multiple times; he’s one of the best ‘D’ in the league. He brings so much energy to our team, just the way he plays, how fast he skates. He’s so good defensively, but also is going to help us a lot offensively. Obviously having him on the power play is going to be massive for us.”
Just another element to pack in the powder keg as Ottawa braces for this massive matchup.
5:11
