Former Ottawa Senators forward Brady Tkachuk’s departure was bad enough on its own. Anytime a player asks out, fans and teammates automatically place said individual in their sights.
But when it’s the team captain that bails, it makes matters that much worse.
And that’s what this upcoming season’s Senators-Panthers rivalry will be about. The animosity between the two clubs is bad enough. But with Tkachuk now defecting to a hated division rival, the bad blood could be even worse.
On the one hand, the Senators will want to show Tkachuk that he made a bad choice. The Sens will want to wallop the Panthers on the ice, proving he chose to join the wrong team.
But beyond beating Tkachuk and the Panthers on the ice, Ottawa will want to demonstrate they don’t need Tkachuk. If anything, they’re a better team without him.
Now, we could debate as to whether the Senators would have actually been a better team with Tkachuk in the fold. In light of the moves Steve Staios made, it’s really debatable. The additions made in the post-Tkachuk era have largely filled any gaps Tkachuk might have left.
And that’s why the Senators will have that extra special incentive to prove they’re better off as they are now.
Tkachuk to get the cold shoulder in return to Ottawa
Senators fans will want to mark October 21 on their calendars. That’s the night that Brady Tkachuk could be making his return to Ottawa. It will be strange not seeing him wearing a Senators jersey. But that’s besides the point. The fact that the turncoat forward will return to the Nation’s Capital will be the talk of the town.
It’s also a perfect opportunity to give him the cold shoulder. There’s no question that the boos hitting Tkachuk will be so loud, they’ll be audible in space. If Tkachuk ever thought for a moment that his return would be a welcome one, he has another thing coming.
Senators fans will want to make it crystal clear that Tkachuk crossed a major line he should have never gone over. Of course, there’s no putting the toothpaste back in the tube now. So, Tkachuk will have no other choice but to face the enmity of Senators fans.
The best way to rub Tkachuk’s bad choice in his face is to win on the ice. That’s what his former teammates will be gunning for. If that’s the case, it will provide some measure of solace to the still stung Senators fan base.
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