Tkachuk had thumb surgery on Thursday afternoon, sidelining him for 6-8 weeks.
Ottawa Senators fans had been waiting for news this week on whether or not captain Brady Tkachuk will have surgery on his injured right thumb. Not only has Tkachuk made his decision, he's already had the surgery.
The team announced today that Tkachuk went under the knife on Thursday and will miss 6-8 weeks of action. The news comes just hours after Senators head coach Travis Green told the media the captain was still being evaluated.
"I'd love to give you more information, but he is still being evaluated," Green said. "Like I said, he's going to be out for a significant amount of time, but we're making sure that we're taking care of him and making sure that we do the right thing. I don't have an update. I'm hoping I do soon."
Tkachuk was hurt on Monday afternoon after taking a cross-check from behind from Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi and careening into the boards headfirst. Tkachuk had time to get his arms up to brace his fall, but he obviously damaged his right thumb, which got pinched or bent between his body and the boards.
Six weeks will take us to November 27, so that means Tkachuk will miss 19 games in the best-case scenario. The worst case is eight weeks, which would be December 12th or 26 games.
In their first game without Tkachuk on Wednesday night, the Senators got crushed in Buffalo 8–4. Tkachuk being absent from this lineup for 19-26 games is less than ideal for a group that historically isn’t known for its fast starts to seasons.
Earlier today, as Tkachuk went on IR, his roster spot was taken by winger Arthur Kaliyev, who was called up from the Belleville Senators. Ottawa will try to snap a three-game skid tonight as the Seattle Kraken pay a visit to Canadian Tire Centre.
More Sens headlines at the Hockey News Ottawa:
Sens Call Up Kaliyev As Tkachuk Goes On IR
Senators Suffer Discouraging 8-4 Loss At Buffalo
Senators Lose Sebrango, Claimed Off Waivers By Florida
An Early Glance At The Senators' Goaltending Pipeline
Brady Tkachuk Likely To Miss A Month Of Action (At Least)
Another Tough Break For Josh Norris, A Player Ottawa Still Roots For