This fall, Tkachuk should be free from Olympic fatigue, injury setbacks, and the relentless off-ice distractions.
In the second half of the regular season, the Ottawa Senators were one of the best teams in the league. But it wasn't quite the season many expected from their captain, Brady Tkachuk.
While Tkachuk still produced 59 points in 60 games, there were stretches where he simply didn't look like the dominant force Senators fans had grown accustomed to seeing. Tkachuk was held pointless in Ottawa's four-game sweep at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes.
NHL players hate making excuses. If their arm came off in a playoff game, they'd still say, 'Yeah, but I don't want to use that as an excuse."
Actually, you can. And you should really get to the hospital.
If it makes everyone more comfortable, let's not call them excuses. Let's go with reasons. There were many reasons Tkachuk didn't quite reach his usual standard this season.
Following Team USA's gold medal-winning performance at the Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, he admitted he returned to Ottawa not feeling his best after the whirlwind experience overseas. There was little time to recover before the Senators immediately embarked on a western road trip.
But the Olympics were only one chapter in what turned into an unusually complicated season for the Senators captain, and the challenges began almost immediately.
Just three games into the season, on October 13, Tkachuk was driven dangerously from behind into the end boards by Nashville Predators defenceman Roman Josi. The injury forced him to miss more than six weeks, and he didn't return until American Thanksgiving on November 28.
While the rest of the NHL was settling into midseason form, Tkachuk was essentially trying to start his season from scratch.
Then came another distraction.
When Linus Ullmark stepped away from the team in late December on a personal leave to address mental health concerns, social media quickly filled with rumours and speculation. Tkachuk found himself answering questions and helping navigate what Travis Green called the 'white noise' surrounding the hockey club.
The spotlight and controversies intensified during the Olympics.
As Team USA celebrated its gold medal victory, the players received a phone call from President Donald Trump. A joking comment about the American women's team generated criticism online after some players were seen laughing at the joke. Questions followed.
Additional attention arrived when Tkachuk and members of Team USA were honoured during a visit to the White House. Once again, Tkachuk found himself addressing topics that had little to do with hockey.
His father, Keith, also sparked controversy on Wingmen, the family's podcast, making cracks about how players today are soft. He seemed to reference Matthew's whole team, the Florida Panthers, and may have also taken a veiled shot at Linus Ullmark as well. That had Brady at the centre of another media scrum and in defence mode once again.
And then there was the one storyline that began a year earlier in New York, which refused to disappear. Speculation surrounding Tkachuk's future grew louder as the season progressed. With only two years remaining on his contract, every rough patch seemed to generate another round of theories, trade rumours and commentary.
At the Senators' season-ending media availability, Tkachuk acknowledged the constant discussion about his future had become frustrating and, at times, a distraction.
"I feel like I've answered this hundreds of times," Tkachuk said calmly. "I feel like I've never shown...I've never said... none of those things ever came out of my mouth, and quite honestly, it's just getting frustrating.
"It's becoming a distraction, and I have been fully committed to this team, to the city, and it's just becoming a distraction, frustrating to deal with."
Taken individually, none of these situations would necessarily derail a player's season. But collectively, they created a year unlike any Tkachuk has experienced since arriving in Ottawa.
That's why there's reason to believe next season could be a monster bounce-back, maybe the best of his career, because with any luck, the kinds of factors that complicated his 2025-26 season won't exist.
Knock on wood, he won't have that six-week injury absence with a bad thumb; no playing with a brace and unable to fight when he wants; no important, energy-draining international tournament right in the middle of the NHL season; and with any luck, no controversies to overcome.
Yes, the trade speculation about his future will remain part of the conversation. But compared to everything else he dealt with over the past year, if that's the extent of it, that's a pretty manageable distraction.
Tkachuk will be 27 when Sens camp begins, right in his prime, fresh off a full summer of rest and training, and should arrive with a clear head and healthy body. He's also playing for a new contract in two years and hungry to win, so don't be surprised if he challenges career highs across the board.
After one of the most challenging seasons of his career, all the ingredients are in place for Brady Tkachuk to remind everyone exactly how dominant he can be.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News
