Brady Tkachuk has some ups and downs over his first few weeks in the NHL. He got off to a good start but missed roughly three weeks shortly thereafter after tearing a ligament in his leg. However, he has made a strong impression when he has been in the lineup and the team has taken notice, announcing (Twitter link) that he has been told to find his own place to live, meaning that he will be sticking around for the foreseeable future.
The fourth overall pick back in June has played in seven games so far this season so this was a decision that they could have waited a little while longer to make. However, given the fact that he has made a significant impact early on, they decided that they’ve seen enough. Through seven games this season, he has four goals and four assists while averaging just shy of 15 minutes a night of playing time.
This means that Tkachuk will officially burn the first year of his entry-level contract early next week once he reaches the ten-game mark. It’s worth noting that he is eligible to be sent to the AHL so if he struggles between now and the time he reaches 40 games on the active roster (which would give him one accrued season towards unrestricted free agency), the Sens will not be facing a situation of having to send him back to junior if they decide that they don’t want to have him reach that particular mark. Given how he has played early on though, that doesn’t seem to be particularly likely at this time.