Brady Tkachuk put Toronto's top players in the spotlight, then Ottawa failed the same test
|
Bruce Raymond
Mar 24, 2026 (11:49)
|
|
Photo credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Brady Tkachuk blasted the Maple Leafs after Auston Matthews got clipped, then Ottawa stayed quiet when Thomas Chabot got drilled and left hurt.
Tkachuk had a loud answer for Toronto after Radko Gudas went knee on knee with Matthews. He made it sound simple, protect your stars or answer for it.
That line hit because Matthews is the face of the Maple Leafs. When nobody grabbed control of that moment, Toronto looked soft.
Brady and Matthew Tkachuk leaned all the way in on that point. They put Toronto's top players and Matthews' linemates under a bright, uncomfortable light.
Fair enough, up to a point.
Hockey players talk about policing the game all the time. If a star gets targeted, the room is supposed to push back before the other bench gets too comfortable.
You can see the whole temperature of the debate in these clips.
Take a look:
Then Monday brought a problem for Brady Tkachuk's argument. J.T. Miller caught Thomas Chabot with a hard cross check late in the period, and Chabot left the game injured.
Ottawa did not answer the way Brady demanded Toronto should have.
Brady Tkachuk turns powerful statement into major contradiction
Fans notice this stuff right away, and they should.
If you call out another team's backbone, your own bench cannot go silent when one of your best players gets run. That is where the message falls apart.
The clip made the whole thing worse because it was ugly and late. Chabot was vulnerable, Miller finished through him, and Ottawa never turned that moment into any kind of warning.
You can see the exact shove and the aftermath here.
This is not about demanding staged fights after every bad hit. It is about consistency, especially when you publicly shame another roster for failing the same test.
That is why the Maple Leafs angle still matters. Tkachuk did not just criticize Toronto, he handed critics an easy replay the second Ottawa failed to respond in kind.
Now the spotlight shifts from Matthews' linemates to Brady Tkachuk himself. If he wants to set the code, his team has to live by it next time.
Also read on Puck Reporter :
Deadly LaGuardia Airport crash overshadows Monday night's Rangers-Senators game at MSG
Deadly LaGuardia Airport crash overshadows Monday night's Rangers-Senators game at MSG