Star rookie pulled out of the lineup just hours before game time.

One of the National Hockey League's most fascinating stories coming into the 2018 - 2019 NHL regular season will be the ascension, or lack thereof, of rookie forward Brady Tkachuk. Not only was Tkachuk a top pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, something that would have made his debut exciting regardless of context, but he was somewhat of a controversial pick when selected that high. 

The Ottawa Senators took a big gamble by grabbing him early and based on his preseason performances against other NHL players it looks like it may be a gamble that will pay off in the long run. For Senators fans getting to watch him play and develop at the NHL level is one of the very few things that they can genuinely look forward to this season and it looks like they are going to have to wait at least a little while longer to get the chance. 

According to a breaking news report from Sportsnet NHL insider Chris Johnston the Ottawa Senators have pulled Brady Tkachuk out of the line up for tonight's highly anticipated match up against the Toronto Maple Leafs. At this time the Senators have not provided any reasoning as to why Tkachuk will be sitting out tonight's game and no one else has been able to deduce the reason behind his absence thus far either. It of course be any number of things but the biggest concern would be some form of injury to Tkachuk. There were some comments from head coach Guy Boucher that may be an indication that the issue is in fact on Tkachuk's end of things although he did not give any kind of official reason when speaking to reporters. 

Johnston reports that Boucher has informed him that "the hope" is that Tkachuk will be ready to play on Monday when the Senators face off against the Boston Bruins. Tkachuk has a reputation as a notorious agitator on the ice, and no one that has seen brother Matthew Tkachuk on the ice will be surprised to learn that Brady also carries that gene, and the match up against the like of Brad Marchand will be very interesting but the news is disappointing none the less. 

For both fans of the Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs the "Battle of Ontario" are some of the most important games of the season due to the intense rivalry between the two teams and their respective fan bases. For Brady Tkachuk to not be making his debut tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs will surely be a let down for the Senators, but it may also be one for a Leafs fan base that was excited to see the newest weapon on the Senators roster. The Leafs will be playing the Senators several times over the next few years and Tkachuk will almost assuredly be a long term part of that organizations core. 

No word from Boucher on when we might expect an update on Tkachuk's status but given how late this was announced it seems safe to bet that we won't hear anything until game day on Monday. 

[pub]