Final Updates on Brady and Matthew Tkachuk Before Playoffs as Injury Leave Threatens Senators and Panthers

With the Stanley Cup Playoffs fast approaching, the teams are sweating for the return of their star players, who have been sidelined due to injuries. The Tkachuk brothers, Brady and Matthew Tkachuk, have also been away from the action due to their respective injuries. While Brady is suffering from an upper-body injury, Matthew suffered a lower-body injury during the Four Nations tournament. Ahead of the playoffs, NHL insiders Kyle Bukauskas and Elliotte Friedman dropped major updates about their return on the ice.

Both the Senators and the Panthers have qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, beginning later this month. Despite their progress to the next round, there is some concern in their team as star players Brady and Matthew Tkachuk remain sidelined. While there was a glimmer of hope about one, the other’s season could potentially be over.

Earlier today, Sportsnet dropped a new podcast in which Kyle Bukauskas and Elliotte Friedman discussed the situation surrounding the Tkachuk brothers. While there was some bad news surrounding Brady, Matthew is gearing up for a return. Talking about the injury situation of Brady, Bukauskas and Friedman discussed, “We lived it at Four Nations; remember, as that tournament went on we were supposed to talk to a player or two leading up to the final and one of the teams were like, ‘Erm, not so sure about it.’ Just because they weren’t entirely sure about the player’s availability for the game, that was not the case here with Brady so who knows, maybe we don’t see him the rest of the regular season for Ottawa.”

However, Matthew was almost ready for a return and could be seen in action during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Although the two advised caution, they were hopeful of his return, saying, “I have, uh, my ‘Not sure bucket,’ uh, Matthew Tkachuk. I’ll be honest, I really don’t know what to make of this one. Um, there’s a lot of talk that, you know, he’ll be ready for game one. I’m just curious to see how he moves, right?”

The Panthers and the Senators are currently placed in the third and the fourth positions in the Atlantic Division. With just a couple of games pending before the playoffs, both Matthew and Brady will face a race against time to get ready for the next stage of the NHL season. Even as Brady’s return remains doubtful, Matthew’s return was confirmed by renowned NHL analyst Kevin Weekes.

Positive update on Matthew Tkachuk

Despite missing several games for the Panthers due to his injury, Matthew Tkachuk has been a treat to watch on the ice whenever he plays. Additionally, he has scored 22 goals and 35 assists, showing his all-round game. Further, the Panthers fans would catch a sigh of relief to hear about his return for the playoffs.

Kevin Weekes revealed on ESPN, “All indications from Florida Panthers sources are that Matthew Tkachuk will return for game 1 of the playoffs, barring a setback.”  Additionally, Panthers coach Paul Maurice also admitted that Tkachuk could feature as early as the first game of the playoffs.

However, the Panthers would have to play a wait-and-watch game as they sweat on the fitness of Tkachuk. Meanwhile, for the Senators, they would have to do away with their star player and captain, Brady Tkachuk, in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.