Tkachuk and Stutzle finished with one combined playoff point and imagine the reaction if they were Maple Leafs
Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
For all the talk about how Brady Tkachuk and company could surprise the Hurricanes, one combined point with their two stars could have been a bigger nightmare.
On Saturday, the Carolina Hurricanes disposed of the Ottawa Senators pretty easily, and swept them 4-0 in their playoff series, swiftly moving onto the next round. Backed by a resurgent Taylor Hall and youngsters like Jackson Blake and Logan Stankoven; they are poised to keep their momentum going.
On the flip side, Ottawa barely got any help whatsoever from their stars, as names like Claude Giroux and Shane Pinto were pointless, with Drake Batherson being the only decently offensive player with four points in four games.
However all eyes are on Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle, the two names who were expected to lead the Senators to success. Though, the fact they combined for one point in four games and a minus-8 rating is pretty atrocious given their immense talent — but lucky for them it's just Ottawa.
What I mean by that is...could you imagine if both men were Maple Leafs and this happened?
If Auston Matthews had zero points and a minus-four in a playoff series the trade demands would have started by Game 3
Just imagine the Maple Leafs being swept by someone like Washington or Philadelphia in the first round, with Auston Matthews and William Nylander having one total point; the city would be on fire.
To put it into context, it would be as if Matthew Knies was the only player who managed to show up. You'd think something was seriously wrong. The Toronto media would have a field day with the questions and near-interrogation of the captain and his crew. It would be less 'What went wrong?' and more 'Why can't you do anything when it matters?'
Fans would be calling for his head too, as they are going to be a lot less professional than the media. You think he got crucified for his production before; at least he was consistent. His only blemish is his 2017-18 season where he had only two points and has been reliable despite fans thinking otherwise.
But if Matthews — a staunch defensive player — were to suddenly be on the ice for four goals against in the biggest game of the season, you'd think he had sudden onset dementia.
Thankfully the Senators fans are a bit more forgiving.
Tkachuk finished with zero points and a minus four and Stützle added one assist in four games and Ottawa is still being called a team on the rise
Despite their horrible production in this year's playoffs, the Senators aren't exactly a team who just lucked their way into the postseason. They had some shaky goaltending but it got figured out, and if they can get more consistency there it would help immensely.
But their roster is pretty stacked and not that old; you have six players in their prime, a great young core headlined by names like Carter Yakemchuk and Stephen Halliday and a very exciting prospect system.
They're a team on the rise because they actually can improve on this year. You're going to have Giroux and Lars Eller as free agents, so they can get younger if they so choose, and there are players who would thrive there who may not have a bigger chance elsewhere like Nick Robertson.
Say what you will about him, but Tkachuk is 26 and one of the best power forwards in the entire league and just won gold at the 2026 Olympics, meanwhile Stutzle has averaged nearly a point-per-game in his career and is young of the league's brightest playmakers.
Ottawa built this team for success, though it wasn't meant to be this year.
At least they're built with a plan in mind though, as their provincial rivals in Toronto are just thankful it wasn't their players being embarrassed — because we'd never hear the end of it.
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