Brady Tkachuk is ready to turn the page and focus on the task at hand.
The Ottawa Senators captain arrived in town on the weekend from his off-season home in New Jersey and Tkachuk is skating daily with most of his teammates in preparation for the opening of training camp on Sept. 17 at the Canadian Tire Centre.
The 25-year-old Tkachuk is aware that the expectations are high for the Senators this season to make the next step.
“Of course, everybody externally is going to have expectations on us,” Tkachuk said Wednesday on Media Day. “Internally, I think I said it after the season, that it’s going to be as hard to get into the playoffs, just like last year.
“But I think that experience from last year is going to help us from Day 1. We have a group that’s going to be able to do it. For us, it’s about having that Stanley Cup mindset right from Day 1. That’s something I’ve seen up close and personal.
“That’s something where we’re not going to stop until it gets done. The playoffs are a great goal to have, but I think there are bigger goals that we’re going to set for ourselves. Making the playoffs was great, but it’s not about getting to the playoffs now.
“We want more and it’s just going to be a matter of doing it right away and getting ready for the season.”
After making the playoffs last spring for the first time in eight years, it would be nice if the Senators were able to have home-ice advantage in the first round.
That won’t be easy. The Atlantic Division is stacked. Five of the eight Eastern Conference teams in the playoffs last spring came from the Atlantic and the Florida Panthers won their second straight Stanley Cup, led by Tkachuk’s brother, Matthew, who played through a hip/groin injury.
Ottawa will open the season against the Panthers in Florida on Oct. 9, with the home opener set for Oct. 13 against the Nashville Predators at 1 p.m.
Steve Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager, didn’t make many changes during the off-season. He opted to give this group a chance to grow together with coach Travis Green heading into his second season with his staff.
The club was eliminated in the first round by the Toronto Maple Leafs and lost in six games after falling behind by a 3-0 deficit. A deal to acquire defenceman Jordan Spence from the Los Angeles Kings was the only big move the club made.
Newly acquired Ottawa Senators defenceman Jordan Spence talks to the media at the Canadian Tire Centre.
“We have to use our experience from the playoffs,” Tkachuk said. “I know how the series went, we fought back, but we have to have that mindset that every game is a new opportunity to play our game and dictate the game. That’s going to make us that much better.
“Steve believes in our group. We have an agreement in our room that we believe in each other, we believe in what we’re doing and the big thing we touched on is internal growth. We could feel that everybody took that to heart and everybody took levels to their game.”
Tkachuk had a busy off-season. He watched Matthew lift the Cup with a victory over the Edmonton Oilers for the second straight spring. Tkachuk, his wife Emma and their infant son Ryder, settled into their new home on the Jersey shore.
He also was invited to attend Team USA’s Winter Olympic orientation camp, which was held last week in Plymouth, Mich., along with Senators teammates Jake Sanderson and Shane Pinto. Tkachuk is a lock to suit up for the Americans, while Sanderson has a strong chance.
Tkachuk noted his No. 1 priority is the Senators.
“First and foremost, my priority is to put the Ottawa Senators in the best possible position before the Olympics,” Tkachuk said. “Once the Olympics come around, it’s all about Team USA.
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“But the sole focus is to put ourselves in the best possible position before the break and then figure it out from there.”
Being part of the Olympics in Milan/Cortina, Italy, in February with Matthew will be an honour for Tkachuk. Still, there is concern among the Ottawa faithful because he came back from the 4 Nations Face-Off earlier this year with a hip injury that hampered him through the playoffs.
He spent part of his off-season trying to get healthy and is fine now.
“It was a great summer to recover and chill,” Tkachuk said. “I feel great. It was probably a little bit longer than I expected, but it was about taking a cautious approach (after) playing for two months.
“I needed that time, but I think this is the best I’ve ever felt coming into a season.”