It’s just hockey.
I have spent the last few days muttering that to myself and to be honest, it’s not really helping. The reality of a long off-season is setting in and unfortunately, there is a serious shortage of playoff highs to relive over the next couple months.
The Sens merchandise that briefly covered the living room is packed away, the jerseys are hung safely in the closet and the countdown to a blurry rookie camp stream has begun. The Ottawa Senators are gone and they aren’t coming back any time soon.
That’s the bad news.
The good news, if you want to call it that, is the conversation around this team is not going to slow down anytime soon. The Senators took a step forward in the way they play but now Steve Staios and his staff need to figure out how to parlay that into some kind of post-season success.
Based on the early conversation here and in other dark corners of the internet, that’s going to require either a bit of a tinkering around the edges or a core-shaking deal of some kind. Remain buckled at all times, I suppose.
This morning, Brady Tkachuk followed the lead of the rest of the team and management and held his own season-ending press conference with the media. Tkachuk’s was a little bit delayed of course because he returned home to be with his wife Emma for the birth of their second child.
As expected, Brady expressed frustration over a disappointing exit from the post-season. Tkachuk also confirmed, once again, that he is committed to the Ottawa Senators and that any suggestion otherwise is “frustrating”. He spoke about the physical and mental toll of a long and difficult season and talked about the things he’ll be focusing on as he continues to grow as a player. He also spoke about the progress of the team and what they learned this year and what it will take to get to the next level.
He also said that even though he wishes they were still playing, he is looking forward to the summer and is just “gonna be a Dad for a little bit”. He closed with a heartfelt thank you to Sens fans.
Honestly, Tkachuk kind of hit that out of the park. Not one single noteworthy thing was said and any “tough” questions were handled with ease.
Onward and upward, as the ol’ saying goes.