On Thursday night at the 4 Nations championship match, Canada triumphed at the USA’s expense. Justifiably, it was a massive heartbreak for the Americans, who were feeling confident ahead of the clash. But now that the international break is over, it’s time to get back to the NHL regular season once again. But it seems like Brady Tkachuk isn’t ready to get back to his Senators duties just yet.

The younger Tkachuk brother was one of the main driving forces behind Team USA’s 4 Nations campaign. With both the puck and without it, Brady left it all on the ice in both Montreal and Boston. And it looks like he’s still feeling the impacts, so much so that Ottawa is heading to the Canadian Tire Center without one of its main attacking personnel.

Veteran NHL reporter Elliotte Friedman took to X on February 22 to drop some important Senators team news before the team’s battle against the Montreal Canadians. “Hearing Brady Tkachuk will not play tonight for Ottawa,” the social media update shared. With that, fans might be forced to speculate if the decision was taken because of the lower-body injury Tkachuk sustained during Team USA’s match against Sweden as he crashed into Samuel Ersson early in the first period. After leaving the ice in pain, the Senators star did manage to put in another shift. That, however, did not last longer than 14 seconds.

He was also spotted to be limping at the championship game on Thursday, but still managed to clock over 19 minutes on the ice.

However, Friedman assured that the injury wasn’t a major headache for the Ottawa squad. “The good news: the Senators are not worried it is anything serious, more of a day-to-day thing,” his post read. On Saturday, Ottawa coach Travis Green mentioned that Brady’s playing would be a game-time decision, and the team captain wasn’t seen suiting up for the game, making it clear that the squad was taking all precautions to make sure Tkachuk recovered from the 4 Nations toil soon.

The Senators, despite being on a 3-match losing streak, are looking to reach the playoffs for the first time in eight years. Naturally, Coach Green and Ottawa are hoping to get their captain in his full form soon. In 56 games in the 2024-25 NHL season, Brady Tkachuk boasts 21 goals and 23 assists for 44 points, making him without a doubt one of the most successful stars of the campaign. But it’s not just in the NHL circuit that Matthew Tkachuk’s brother has been showing his worth.

Brady Tkachuk went all in for the 4 Nations

The 4 Nations Face-Off created a lot of hype as the possible replacement for the NHL All-Star game, and it did not disappoint a bit. But for Team USA, it looked like it was going to be a steep uphill climb right off the bat. In the first match against Finland on February 13, the Canadian crowd at the Bell Centre booed the U.S. national anthem. Brady and his brother, however, made sure not to let it get to them. With two goals apiece and multiple heavy hits, the brothers led their team to a 6-1 victory as the hostile crowd looked on. The next match against Canada also saw Brady going all in, albeit in a more unconventional fashion.

Two days later, when the US and Canada clashed for the first time in the 4 Nations, Tkachuk, his sibling Matthew, and Rangers star J.T. Miller got involved in three separate fisticuffs nine seconds into the game thanks to a special group chat. Maybe it was because of that explosive star that the visitors managed to win the game 3-1.

Brady Tkachuk, who scored thrice in the 4 Nations tournament, was obviously disheartened after the loss at TD Garden on Thursday. “This sucks. I thought this team deserved more. I think we left absolutely everything out there. I know it was a 10-day tournament, but it felt like we’d been playing together for this whole year,” he said after the loss against Canada in the championship match.

However, Brady isn’t the only one who’s missing out on the action on the NHL’s first night back. His brother Matthew also missed out on the Panthers’ first game after the international break against Seattle. However, while Brady’s injury is listed as a day-to-day affair, Matthew could be out for a longer period. But will Brady’s heartbreak be compensated by helping the Senators reach the post-season for the first time since 2017? What do you reckon? Tell us your predictions below!