Help could be on the way for the Ottawa Senators.
While Brady Tkachuk didn’t take part in the 45-minute skate under the watchful eye of head coach Travis Green on Monday at the Canadian Tire Centre, the Senators’ captain was taking care of some business elsewhere and will join his teammates when they leave for Los Angeles on Tuesday.
The belief is that Tkachuk was in New York on Monday, meeting with hand specialist Dr. Robert Hotchkiss, to receive clearance to step up his activities after undergoing surgery on his thumb to repair a torn ligament.
The Senators took a twirl before packing their bags to head to California to start a seven-game, 15-day road trip on Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks.
There is no firm timeline for Tkachuk’s return, but it’s fair to say he’s closing in on resuming full duties with his teammates in practice, followed by his return to the lineup.
The expectation is that Tkachuk, who has missed 16 games due to the ailment, will return sometime during this trip. He resumed skating with his teammates on Friday and has been handling the puck
The timeline was six to seven weeks after he had the procedure so, if all goes well, then Tkachuk could be ready to play next Wednesday against the Vegas Golden Knights, or perhaps he’ll make his return when the Senators face the Blues in his hometown on Nov. 28 in St. Louis.
We’ll likely get a better update on when Tkachuk will return after the latest episode of his new podcast with his brother, Matthew of the Florida Panthers, Wingmen, is released on Wednesday.
Tkachuk isn’t the only one who may return on this trip, which also will make stops in San Jose on Saturday, Los Angeles on Monday, Dallas on Nov. 30 and then Montreal on Dec. 2, before the club heads home.
He stated on the first episode of the podcast last week that he hoped to play in the next two weeks, but noted there was work ahead. The first step for Tkachuk is to get back to being a regular participant in practice.
Defenceman Thomas Chabot, who suffered an upper-body muscle injury a week ago against the Stars at home, was on the ice on Monday. He hasn’t been cleared to take any contact, but the expectation is that he will be on the flight with his teammates when they depart Ottawa.
With only six healthy defencemen, the Senators acquired Dennis Gilbert from the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday in exchange for restricted free agent blueliner Max Guenette. Gilbert will join the Senators on the trip.
Forward Olle Lycksell, who is in concussion protocol after being injured on Nov. 8 during a game against the Philadelphia Flyers, skated with Chabot on Monday, but isn’t likely to make the trip.
Coming off a 1-0 loss to the Kings on Saturday at home, the club also was without forwards Ridly Greig and Lars Eller on Monday. Both were given maintenance days and are expected to face the Ducks.
With a compressed schedule to allow National Hockey League players to participate in the Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, in February, the Senators actually are enjoying a rare four-day break.
This allowed Green and his coaching staff to work on several aspects of the game during the skate. Unhappy with the way one drill was being done, Green told the players to “wake the f— up”.
He then wore a wry smile once it was completed correctly.
“It’s important. There isn’t a lot of practice time in stretches this year,” Green said. “We’ve had two four-day breaks lately, so we’ve kind of been looking at our game and where we thought we needed some work.
“Today, there was a lot of puck touches, some scoring stuff, but we’re also working on the defensive side of our game.
The Senators are 8-4-4 in the 16 games they have played since Tkachuk got hurt, and have played strong of late. The Senators have only two regulation losses in their past 13 games, with a 7-2-4 record in that stretch.
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You can point to areas that need improvement — including the goaltending, the penalty kill, and the power play — but the Senators are finding ways to either win or get valuable points because they all matter.
The Senators know they are embarking on a journey that won’t be easy in the next two weeks.
“We’re going to play some good teams. It’ll be a good test for us,” said veteran winger Nick Cousins. “It’s just a matter of keeping it simple. On the road, we’re not selling any tickets, so the uglier the better for us.
“We’ve just got to get off to a good start, and it just takes one win to get the momentum rolling.”