Brady Tkachuk’s grand return was to be the narrative of the year, but the hockey gods had different plans. After the 4 Nations tournament, which he played for Team USA, the younger Tkachuk was more than willing to get back to NHL play. But after absorbing a tough beating in Sweden, one that saw him barely walk through the final match, his body seems to be saying ‘time out’. As the Senators hit the ice against the Montreal Canadiens, their captain won’t be suiting up, leaving fans wondering just how serious this injury might be.

Veteran insider Elliotte Friedman broke the news to X and let’s just say that Sens Nation is not happy that Tkachuk was not at the game. After playing more than 19 minutes in that last game, it was evident that Brady was playing through the pain and now the harsh reality has dawned on him. While his teammates battle it out, he’s stuck on the sidelines—though not without finding ways to keep things interesting.

Brady Tkachuk takes up on a wholesome role!

Ian Mendes took to X to drop a heartwarming clip of Brady Tkachuk proving that even when he’s off the ice, he’s still that guy. Standing between the booths, rocking his signature grin, Brady turned the sideline into his own little meet-and-greet, snagging jerseys tossed his way and making sure no fan left empty-handed.

“Brady Tkachuk couldn’t participate in the skills event on the ice today, but he really wanted to be involved,” Mendes shared, before dropping a mind-blowing stat: over 500 autographs signed while the event was in full swing. And if that wasn’t enough to lock in his fan-favorite status, he made a promise to every single kid who eagerly held out their merch—“Don’t worry, I’ll get to you.” And true to his word, he did.

Brendan Gallagher came in clutch, with a goal and an assist, snapping the Canadiens’ three-game losing streak with a solid 5-2 win over the Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday. But while Brady Tkachuk remained a healthy scratch for this one, there is another Tkachuk who might be facing an even tougher road ahead. Matthew’s season? Well, let’s just say the hockey gods aren’t exactly playing fair. There are some speculations that his NHL season is over for good and that is something nobody expected.

Matthew Tkachuk out of this season?

Although the return of Matthew Tkachuk is still possible, it is not definite; this has left the fans in a quandary. A foreign journalist suggested that his comeback looks bleak and this has created a lot of commotion. While players returned to Florida and began practicing on the ice after the tournament in Fort Lauderdale, Panthers coach Paul Maurice did not reveal much. He stated that Tkachuk will not play in the next match against Seattle, but he did not rule out the possibility of him playing for the rest of the season.

“I don’t know that anything changed in that game from the game prior in terms of his injury,” Maurice said, maintaining a positive outlook. Tkachuk is expected to have more tests conducted in the next few days, but there is a storm brewing in the hockey community. TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie gave an update which was rather worrisome as he said, “We’re waiting for important medical results, we’re hearing his year might be over, we don’t want it to be, but there’s some concern.” And with 57 points in 52 games, losing Tkachuk would be like taking the motor out of a champion team.

The cause of his injury still remains uncertain though the probable date correlates to the 4 Nations Face-off between the US and Canada, but some rumors indicate that he might have sustained the injury during one of his scrappy on-ice battles. “The next few days are going to be very, very, very important for him,” Lavoie emphasized, and honestly, that might be the understatement of the season. With Brady Tkachuk already of the game and Matthew still uncertain for the remainder of the season, both the Senators and Panthers have a long and difficult season ahead of them.