Brady Tkachuk admittedly prioritizes Senators' push to playoffs success ahead of Team USA's 2025 Olympic dreams

The Ottawa Senators made their return to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in eight years, led by their captain, Brady Tkachuk, this season. While he has his eyes set on an Olympic gold medal in Milan next year, he has set his priorities straight.

As per Tkachuk, speaking during Team USA's Orientation Camp, before the Olympic Games in February, he wants to put the Senators in a respectable position to make the playoffs.

“First and foremost, my priority is putting the Ottawa Senators in the best position possible before the Olympics,” he said.

Tkachuk has worn his heart on his sleeve for the Senators, leading his team from the front. He netted 55 points in 72 games for Ottawa in a little over 18 minutes of ice time per game during the regular season. It was a dip from previous years. During the playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, he scored seven points in six games as the Sens lost 4-2.

Brady Tkachuk was an influential figure for USA, scoring twice in the first game against Finland and netting another in the final against Canada. He was one of three players who got into a fight in the preliminaries against the Canadians. He had also suffered an injury during the Four Nations Face Off that affected him for the rest of the season.

“It probably took a little longer than I expected, but I feel the best I’ve ever felt coming into a season,” Tkachuk said. “Playing with physicality takes a lot out of you, so I worked a lot on conditioning. I know I’m in tip-top shape.”

Tkachuk has been named as one of the six initial players named to the camp for the upcoming Games, alongside his brother Matthew, Auston Matthews, Charlie McAvoy, Jack Eichel and Quinn Hughes.

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Brady Tkachuk opens up about the playoff expectations from the Sens

Brady Tkachuk addressed the expectations of the Sens to regularly compete in the playoffs. He acknowledged the same while underpinning the importance of last season's run.

“Of course, everybody externally is gonna have an expectation on us,” Tkachuk said.

“Internally, I think I’ve said it after the season, it’s gonna be just as hard to get into the playoffs this season. And that experience is gonna help us tremendously right from day one that we have a group that’s able to do it."

Yet to turn 26, Brady Tkachuk seems to have a lot of responsibility on his shoulders that he isn't shying away from. It remains to be seen how his campaigns with the Sens and Team USA play out.