Brady Tkachuk's health for the Stanley Cup Playoffs was a concern after being out of the Ottawa Senators' lineup since March 30. An upper-body injury caused the Sens' captain to miss the last ten games, but they didn't miss a beat with their fearless leader out of the lineup. Ottawa held on to the first wild-card spot, setting them up for a Battle of Ontario playoff series with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Tkachuk returned for the team's final game, but after leaving early, Senators beat reporter Bruce Garrioch confirmed Tkachuk is ready to go.

“Brady Tkachuk says he was taken out for precautionary reasons. Will be ready for Game 1. ‘I took a couple of sticks in the face,' he says,” Garrioch reported on social media.

Tkachuk and the coaching staff's primary goal for Thursday night was for the captain to get back to game speed. The game can speed up quickly when being away from it for two weeks, and they wanted Tkachuk to be at maximum effectiveness against the Maple Leafs. He played just 10:36 against the Carolina Hurricanes, but it isn't something the fans should worry about long-term.

Playoffs are a long time coming for Brady Tkachuk, Senators

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The Senators thought they'd emerge from their rebuild much quicker than they did. It took a couple of years of coming up just short in the playoffs, but they finally earned a return and nearly snuck into the top three in the Atlantic Division. It's a massive step in the right direction for the organization, and it's hard not to credit Tkachuk as the team's emotional leader.

Returning to the playoffs is much sweeter thanks to their first-round matchup. Many current Senators fans likely fell in love with the team during the epic Battles of Ontario in the early 2000s, and this series will be a blast to the past for hockey fans. It's easy to see a scenario where Tkachuk returns for Game 1 and immediately drags his team into the battle like he did at the 4-Nations Face-Off.

It would've taken a much more serious injury for Tkachuk to miss Game 1 of the Senators' return to the playoffs. Tkachuk was there to watch his brother Matthew win the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers last season, and now he wants his own party with the trophy this summer. If he remains healthy, he might do it.