OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators fanbase must be breathing a sigh of relief with the news that Brady Tkachuk will return to the lineup on Friday against St. Louis.

“I’m not going to lie to you, not a fan of watching (hockey) up there (in the press box),” Tkachuk told the media, via video call, about his emotions during his hiatus due to injury.

And there was no mistaking the fact that Tkachuk was excited to be coming back.

“I feel pretty freakin’ good right now,” he said.

When Tkachuk went down with a thumb injury in the third game of the season against the Nashville Predators on Oct. 13, panic set in, and to some extent rightfully so. Tkachuk is a monster presence who was always going to be irreplaceable.

It was the ultimate test for the Senators. They passed.

“Everybody elevated their

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