Senators captain Brady Tkachuk Reveals Unbearable Injury He Played Through Against Maple Leafs

Heading into the first round of the NHL playoffs, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators renewed the Battle of Ontario in the post-season for the first time in over 2 decades. It was going to be an epic series that featured star players like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and Brady Tkachuk and it's safe to say that the two sides didn't disappoint.

Tkachuk was a thorn in the Maple Leafs' side all series long as he recorded 4 goals and 7 points in 6 games to go along with a plus-2 rating, 30 hits, and 18:17 TOI. He also finished the series riding a 5-game point streak, which included 3 points in a pivotal Game 5 to keep the series alive.

Heading into the post-season, there were some question marks surrounding his status because of an injury he had sustained during the 4 Nations Face-Off when he represented Team USA. He made his return in March but missed nearly 3 weeks in April after sustaining another upper-body injury before suiting up in the season finale.

While it didn't necessarily affect his play considering how impactful he was, the injury lingered into post-season and was very unbearable according to TSN's Bruce Garrioch.

Injuries are part of the game, especially in the playoffs, but hats off to Brady for being able to show up for his team and put on a show during the first round. It was the first time the Senators had qualified since 2017 so it was a long time coming for Tkachuk and the rest of his team.

It was somewhat of a down year for Tkachuk as he recorded 55 points in 72 games, coming of the heels of an 83-point campaign in 2022-23 and 74 points in 2023-24. However, the injuries clearly plagued him and picked up at the wrong time of the season.

Nevertheless, expect Tkachuk to be ready for the 2025-26 season and to continue to be a thorn in the side of many teams, primarily the Leafs.