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Senators' Brady Tkachuk's Nagging Injury Gets Crucial Update From NHL Insider

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Apr 4, 2025 5:30 AM ET

Brady Tkachuk missed a second consecutive game on Thursday night as the Ottawa Senators defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 2–1 at home.

Despite growing speculation around his status amid his multi-game absence, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun revealed there’s no reason to panic.

LeBrun addressed the situation during TSN's “Insider Trading” ahead of Thursday's matchup, explaining that while the Senators officially ruled Tkachuk out for the game, the upper-body injury that sidelined him is improving—and the team is simply being cautious.

“I don't think there should be alarm bells here in this situation," LeBrun reported. "What I was told even after that news was that he absolutely does remain day-to-day, that this is not an ailment that has gotten worse over the last couple of days, and in fact, as one source said, he's actually improving.

”But the Senators are being cautious with their captain, as they should be.”

EARLY TRADING - @PierreVLeBrun on Brady Tkachuk's UBI, the current NHL & NHLPA CBA talks and plans to address the LTIR/cap playoff issue: https://t.co/8gv4bajF4b

Watch an expanded Insider Trading later today on SportsCentre and https://t.co/BQGeAnElqf pic.twitter.com/e4fD6Yb5pp
— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) April 3, 2025

Tkachuk was injured in Sunday’s game against the Penguins in a collision with Ryan Graves.

Head coach Travis Green confirmed the injury earlier this week and noted that the team hoped to avoid long-term issues.

"It's not what you want, that's for sure," Green said on Tuesday. "But that's part of the NHL, you're going to lose guys. Hopefully, he'll just be out for a game."

Ryan Graves was called for interference at the end of the second period for this play on Brady Tkachuk.

Tkachuk did not leave the game. pic.twitter.com/Wcsc21uUxc
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) March 30, 2025

LeBrun also emphasized that the current injury is not related to the lower-body issue Tkachuk sustained during February’s 4 Nations Face-Off.

That said, the forward has now missed one more game than Greene hoped for and there's no official update on when he will return to the ice.

The 25-year-old captain leads the team with 29 goals and 55 points in 71 games and remains a central figure in Ottawa’s playoff push.

The Senators currently sit at 40–29–6 and lead the Eastern Conference's wild-card race with a five-point advantage over the Montreal Canadiens—86 to 81 points, with both teams having played 75 games.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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