Two of the most important players on the Ottawa Senators roster are captain Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle. The two have played together in Ottawa since the 2020-21 season.
It took until 2025 for the two of them to break together and help guide the Senators to the playoffs. Stutzle led the Senators in the regular season with 79 points; Tkachuk led the Senators with seven points during the 2025 playoffs.
Both Tkachuk and Stutzle are destined to help the Senators win more in the future. Despite being teammates, both of them will have to dislike each other in a friendly way when February 2026 arrives.
Stutzle and Tkachuk to face each other in 2026 Olympics
For the first time since 2014, NHL players will compete in the Winter Olympics. The 2026 Winter Olympics will take place in Italy where Stutzle and Tkachuk will face each other.
Stutzle was one of the six players that was announced that will be representing Germany at the Olympics. Tkachuk was one of the first six players that was announced for the Team USA roster.
The schedules for Team USA and Canada were announced earlier today. One of the games on the schedule features Germany and the United States where Stutzle and Tkachuk will compete against each other.
Here is the Team USA 🇺🇸 men's hockey schedule for the 2026 Milan Olympics:
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 17, 2025
Feb. 12 -- vs. Latvia 🇱🇻
Feb. 14 -- vs. Denmark 🇩🇰
Feb. 15 -- vs. Germany 🇩🇪
Stutzle and Germany will take on Tkachuk and the United States on Feb. 15, 2026.
It will be an eight-month wait, but two Senators will get to battle each other on a big stage like the Olympics. Stutzle and Tkachuk will have to put aside being Ottawa teammates and turn into enemies while representing their countries in February.