Tkachuk says kid line ready for spotlight
Star winger wants to be on ice when game in question; coach says that time will come
In the case of Brady Tkachuk and his presence on the ice for the Ottawa Senators, nothing much has changed.
Through three games, the story has been all too familiar: smiling all the way as he barges his way through space and crashes and bangs through opponents around the crease and along the boards.
Off the ice, he's deflecting questions about his long-term future and what could happen when his contract expires following the season.
Through it all, he also reminds us that he's only 21, still a college-aged kid, enjoying everything that comes with the good life.
That includes sharing a home — a house rented from former Senator Mark Stone — with 21-year-old rookie Josh Norris and 19-year-old rookie Tim Stuetzle.
“It has definitely been fun,” Tkachuk said of the living arrangements. “For the first couple of weeks, my girlfriend was there, so she was always cooking and cleaning for us, but since she went back home, it has kind of been like a college frat house.
“Day 1, it became a mess. We're just having a blast. We're playing tons of Xbox and watching a lot of hockey. It has been good.”
Boys will be boys.
Senators coach D.J. Smith certainly has no complaints about the contribution he has received from the roommates.
Stuetzle, who will likely miss his second consecutive game Thursday against the Jets due to an injury, scored his first NHL goal in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Norris followed up by netting his first in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets.
Tkachuk, Norris and 22-yearold Drake Batherson, yet another rookie, have enjoyed early chemistry playing together.
The Kid Line — cleverly dubbed the Chuk Norris Line by TSN — has combined for nine points in three games and was dominant at times Tuesday against Winnipeg.
After the Senators lost a late third-period lead with a group of veterans on the ice against the Jets, Tkachuk was asked if he felt the young line was ready for the
challenge of being on the ice to help close out games defensively.
“I think so,” said Tkachuk, who has one goal, two assists and 14 hits after three games.
“With us, that's why you play. You want to play in those situations where the game is on your stick, so I think our line is comfortable with doing that. Of course, people say we're under 22, all three of us, but I feel we play the right way, we're responsible, we play on both sides of the puck. At the end of the day, it's a coach's decision, but I feel like we are ready for that, mature enough to take on that responsibility.”
Over to you, D.J. Smith.
Smith says that prospect is “pretty premature,” but that the players have the qualities to eventually get there.
“It would have to depend on how it's going and we have (other) guys who kill penalties for a living,” Smith said.
In the future, Smith said he has “all the confidence in the world these guys will be able to do it.”
Any talk about tomorrow naturally leads to the uncertainty surrounding Tkachuk's contract status. His entry-level deal expires following the season, and to date he has lived up to the lofty expectations he assumed after being drafted fourth overall in the 2018 NHL entry draft.
It's hardly a stretch to suggest that he could become the highest-paid player in franchise history and owner Eugene Melnyk has pledged to pay the core players what they're worth when the time comes.
Tkachuk offered a mature answer on his contract situation.
“It's a good question,” he said. “I love it here. I love the people here (and) the community. But where the world is at now, we're not really talking about that. We don't know how the salary cap is going to look for the next couple of years.
“Honestly, I don't think that's the focus for both sides. Our goal right now is to do everything we can to make the playoffs and we have everybody in that room believes we can do that.”
Eventually, the Senators will have to address the contract elephant in the room.
You want to play in those situations where the game is on your stick, so I think our line is comfortable with doing that.