Brady Tkachuk has thumb surgery; what does that mean for USA Hockey?

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Brady Tkachuk has thumb surgery; what does that mean for USA Hockey?

Mike Brehm, USA TODAY · USA TODAY Sports

Thu, Oct 16, 2025 ·

2 min read

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U.S. Olympian and Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk had surgery on Thursday, Oct. 16 on his injured right thumb and will miss a big portion of the lead-up to the 2026 Winter Games in Milan, Italy.

Even though that's a bad thing for the Senators, the decision bodes well for Team USA.

Tkachuk will miss six to eight weeks, the team said, or be out as late as mid-December. The Olympics start in February , meaning he'll be back in plenty of time as the NHL sends its players for the first time since 2014.

If he had rehabbed for the original timeline of four weeks and returned, there was a chance he could have made the injury worse and missed the Olympics. But the ligament surgery ideally will take care of the problem.

How was Brady Tkachuk injured?

Tkachuk was cross-checked into the boards in the first period by Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi on Monday, Oct. 13. Tkachuk returned to the game but was unable to play the final nine minutes.

Tkachuk brothers named to U.S. Olympic team

Tkachuk and his brother, Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk , were among the first six players named to the U.S. Olympic men's hockey team. They played key roles in the 4 Nations Face-Off, scoring goals and engaging in fights in the opening seconds of the first game against Canada.

Matthew Tkachuk is out until at least December after having offseason surgery for a hernia and torn adductor muscle suffered at that tournament. He missed the rest of the regular season but returned for the playoffs and led the Panthers to a second consecutive Stanley Cup title .