Brady Tkachuk voices his anger over missing playoffs again

The Ottawa Senators were viewed as a team heading into this season as a candidate to take a major step forward and be a realistic postseason contender in the Atlantic Division, especially with their strong finish to the 2022-23 campaign. 

The season for Ottawa was far from successful, with the team spending most of the year at the bottom of the division and missing the playoffs for the 7th consecutive year. The last postseason appearance for the franchise ended in disappointment with a double overtime goal by Pittsburgh Penguins forward Chris Kunitz in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final, the highlight of which still makes Senators fans everywhere cringe. 

Brady Tkachuk, whom the Senators selected in the 2018 NHL Draft, has become one of the most important figures on the roster and was recently appointed team captain. However, he's yet to experience playoff action, and the absence from postseason play is becoming a significant concern for him.

"I mean, everybody knows I've just finished year six and haven't done a thing," a frustrated Tkachuk said. "I haven't played in those meaningful playoff games that I've imagined and the rest of the group have imagined of playing."

"(I'm) sick and tired of losing. I don't want to be going home in April anymore, it's frustrating. At the end of the day, it's just disappointing," he continued.

His comments echo the sentiments of what Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon famously said in June of 2021 when he stated the following after his team's postseason loss to Vegas: 

"I'm going into my ninth year next year and I haven't won s**t," he said. 'So, I'm just definitely motivated, and it just sucks losing four (games) in a row to a team." 

Of course, the Senators have a lengthy journey before they even begin to resemble the offensive juggernaut that the Avalanche team that won the Stanley Cup a year after MacKinnon's words were and still are. 

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