The Ottawa Senators might have made the right move when they elected to keep their 2018 first-round pick over their 2019 first-round pick.
The Ottawa Senators received some heartbreaking news as it was revealed forward Brady Tkachuk will miss a month of action due to a torn ligament in his leg.
Tkachuk had been a major reason the surprising Senators have been able to get off to a 3-2-1 record to begin the 2018-19 season. In three games he’s recorded three goals, three assists, a plus/minus rating of plus-five, to go along with 13 hits and the game-winning goal against the Dallas Stars.
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It was only three games, but three games proved more than enough to showcase why Ottawa selected Tkachuk with the fourth overall pick in the 2018 draft. It was a move that was scrutinized at the time. The move will continue to be questioned for the remainder of the season, as the Senators continue to pay the price for the Matt Duchene trade.
As part of the deal to acquire Duchene, Ottawa had the option to send their 2018 first round draft pick to the Colorado Avalanche or hang onto it and send their 2019 first round pick instead.
Obviously, the Senators chose to hang onto their 2018 pick to select Tkachuk, but now the rebuilding franchise is forced to play out the year without a first round pick in 2019. A move that could cost the club a chance at drafting highly touted prospect Jack Hughes.
Many doubted why the team would choose to hold onto their 2018 first rounder, knowing the club was about to trade Erik Karlsson and enter a massive rebuild. They questioned how a team that appeared to be heading for an awful season could surrender a virtually guaranteed top-five draft pick in a deeper draft as opposed to simply handing over the fourth overall selection in 2018.
However, once Tkachuk took to the ice and showed his ability to impact a game in different ways many of the critics were silenced. Tkachuk, at 6-foot-3 and only 19 years old, looks to be about as physically ready to endure the grind of an 82-game regular season as any player at that age could be. He certainly hasn’t shied away from contact either averaging nearly five hits per game.
In only three games, Tkachuk has proven he has a lethal shot and will be a menace in front of the net for the next decade if not longer in the league. He’s also the fastest in his family to score his first goal in the league as he scored in his second game, which was one game better than his father Keith and two games better than his brother Matthew.
When Brady was being scouted at the draft combine many predicted he’d be better than his brother Matthew, as he’s already bigger than Matthew despite a two-year age difference. As a result of the size advantage, Brady is also significantly more physical than Matthew proven by Brady having five more hits than Matthew despite playing two fewer games.
A physical goal-scorer who is only going to get bigger, tougher, and meaner around the net, it’s no wonder the Senators chose to keep their draft pick and select Tkachuk. The Senators may have acquired the game’s next great power forward and a potential future captain for the franchise, similar to Jamie Benn.
It’s a shame Tkachuk will be out of the lineup for the next month, but it won’t be long before he returns as a menace on the ice for the Senators, who desperately need the grit and skill Tkachuk brings each and every game.