Brady Tkachuk hopes Senators can learn from brother's run to Cup Final

HENDERSON, Nev. -- Brady Tkachuk didn't have to look far to find motivation for the upcoming season. In fact, the Ottawa Senators captain didn't even have to look past his family.

Brady was a firsthand spectator last season, watching with the rest of the hockey world while his brother, Matthew Tkachuk, helped carry the Florida Panthers to the Stanley Cup Final.

"To be honest, that's been my motivation all summer," Brady said Tuesday during the NHL North American Player Tour at America First Arena. "To see what he did, to see how he stepped up his game even more and showed the hockey world who he is and who he really is at a big moment."

It was a remarkable run for Matthew and the Panthers after they finished one point ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.

Down 3-1 in the best-of-7 first round against the Boston Bruins, who set NHL single-season records in wins (65) and points (135), the Panthers won the next three games to win the series. Matthew had six points (three goals, three assists) in those final three games.

The Panthers then needed five games to eliminate the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round, then swept the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final. Matthew scored in three of the four games, including OT goals in the first two games, and the series-clinching goal with 4.9 seconds left in regulation of Game 4.

The Panthers would run out of steam in the Cup Final, falling to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games. Matthew would miss Game 5 with a broken sternum, and even though the Cup dream fell short for Florida, it gave Brady a close look at what it takes to make a deep run.

"For me just to see that, that's something I want to do in Ottawa, electrify the city," Brady said. "I got to go to one game in the first round, the conference final and the Final, and just to see how it progressed and how into it the Florida fans were, that's something I want to do."

it's not just the 23-year-old who was inspired by Florida's run. Tkachuk said the rest of the Senators, who finished six points out of a playoff spot, took notice.

"Anytime you can get in, you never know what can happen," Tkachuk said. "It's definitely created a lot of motivation and it was almost eye-opening for our team, where we're on that level toward the end (of the season) and I think we learned a lot of valuable lessons along the way.

"Seeing it firsthand, it's something that I'm going to use, just from the outside looking in, the lessons I learned, but also the lessons he learned, and he's told me."

Last season, the Senators improved by six wins and 13 points from 2021-22, and although they have not qualified for the playoffs since 2016-17, Tkachuk has every reason to be optimistic about their chances this season.

He leads an offense that had three players score at least 30 goals last season (Tim Stützle, 39, Tkachuk and Claude Giroux, 35), and one that added free-agent forward Vladimir Tarasenko, who had 50 points (18 goals, 32 assists) in 69 games for the New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues last season. Tarasenko should help fill the void left by the trade of Alex DeBrincat (Detroit Red Wings), who had 66 points (27 goals, 39 assists) in 82 games last season.

The Senators also added goalie Joonas Korpisalo, who was 18-14-4 with a 2.87 goals-against average, .915 save percentage and one shutout in 39 games (37 starts) for the Los Angeles Kings and Columbus Blue Jackets last season.

Tkachuk said the exposure the Senators get in the 2023 NHL Global Series Sweden presented by Fastenal in November will help fans all over the world see what they are capable of.

Ottawa will be one of four teams playing regular-season games in Stockholm, along with the Red Wings, Maple Leafs and Minnesota Wild. The Senators will play Detroit on Nov. 16 and Minnesota on Nov. 18.

"It's going to be great," Tkachuk said. "I think with our team, I feel like it will be in the spotlight for the next bunch of years and hopefully be able to keep progressing into the big NHL events -- Winter Classic, Heritage Classic, something like that -- and other different moments throughout the season.

"So, I think it just speaks to our team that we're starting to a become well-known team, a team that's fun to watch."