Ottawa Senators star left winger Brady Tkachuk is off to a great start to the season. Adam Proteau says Tkachuk is growing into one of the NHL's best power forwards.

Six years after the Ottawa Senators drafted Brady Tkachuk fourth overall in 2018, he's become the NHL's prototypical power forward.

Tkachuk scored twice Tuesday in Ottawa’s 8-1 romp over the St. Louis Blues to bring his season totals to six goals and seven assists for 13 points in nine games. But there's more to his game that stands out.

The 25-year-old left winger is playing a robust physical game, leading the team with 23 hits. He’s dangerous on the power play, with four goals and six points on the man advantage, as well as at full strength. And he isn't afraid to drive the net and pile on the shots on goal.

Tkachuk’s goals outburst now has him sixth overall in the Senators’ history of all-time goal-scorers – with 168 in 449 career regular-season games – and he impresses not only Sens brass but other observers around the NHL.

To wit: Anaheim Ducks coach Greg Cronin recently spoke to reporters about the evolution of Ducks youngster Mason McTavish’s game. Cronin pointed to Tkachuk as the example of what he wanted to see from McTavish.

"He's not a 'razzle dazzle' skill guy," Cronin said of McTavish. "He should play like Tkachuk in Ottawa, like a power forward that just lives at the other team's net."

That’s high praise from Cronin and another indication of how much Tkachuk’s game has grown.

Tkachuk’s totals on offense have steadily increased – from 30 goals in 2021-22 to 35 in 2022-23 and 37 in 2023-24. Last season's total was the most goals ever by a player who recorded at least 290 hits in a single NHL season, according to NHL.com.

It's not out of the question for Tkachuk to hit the 40-goal mark this year, either. He's currently on pace for 54 goals and 118 points. Those numbers may not be sustainable this year, but it would be a big jump on his career-high 83 points set in 2022-23. 

Tkachuk may not be a Hart Trophy favorite at the moment. The Senators can’t and shouldn’t rely on Tkachuk to be Mr. Everything for them, either, considering the balance they have with Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson, Claude Giroux and more. 

But with every game he plays, Tkachuk demonstrates his importance to Ottawa’s Stanley Cup hopes. He’s an extremely effective competitor and valuable leader whose best days are still ahead. He’s also one of the better bargains in the NHL, with a salary cap hit of about $8.2 million through 2027-28.

Like his brother, Matthew Tkachuk, Brady Tkachuk has what it takes to be a high-impact performer on a Cup front-runner. And now, the challenges before him seem well within Brady Tkachuk’s reach.

Ask any GM if they’d like to have Tkachuk on their team, and you wouldn’t get a ‘no’ out of any of them. Tkachuk has slowly but surely ratcheted up his game to all-world standards, and he fits the definition of “power forward” to a T.

Get the latest news and trending stories right to your inbox by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or by visiting our forum.