Brady Tkachuk's automatic suspension for Sabres brawl being appealed by Ottawa Senators

The Ottawa Senators are planning to appeal the suspension of their captain, Brady Tkachuk. He received an automatic one-game suspension for receiving an instigator penalty during the final five minutes of a game against the Buffalo Sabres. Tkachuk got into a fight with Sabres forward Alex Tuch, resulting in the referee giving him the instigator penalty and ultimately leading to his suspension.

After the 6-4 Senators loss, Ottawa head coach D.J. Smith spoke to the media and confirmed the Sens would be appealing the result, according to TSN:

"I know what the rule is for, at the end when you send guys out [specifically to fight]. I don't see that situation at all. I see a guy that went out of his way to hit him dirty, and he sticks up for himself. The league will make that call and let us know, but I see that not what the rule is intended for."

Brady Tkachuk was handed a 10-minute misconduct in addition to the five-minute major for fighting and the two-minute instigator penalty.

Prior to the fight, Tkachuk did leave the game with what D.J. Smith called an elbow stinger. However, he was able to return and ultimately started the fight which will keep him out of action for the Senators Thursday night game against the New York Islanders, if the appeal does not work.

Brady Tkachuk's 2023 stats

Brady Tkachuk is entering his sixth NHL season and through six games this season has recorded four goals and two assists.

In his NHL career, Tkachuk has skated in 365 games, recording 129 goals and 152 assists for 281 points. He was drafted fourth overall by the Senators in 2018 and was named Ottawa's captain in 2021. Tkachuk is currently in the third year of his seven-year $57,500,000 deal he signed in 2021.

The Ottawa Senators are currently sixth in the Atlantic Division with a 3-3 record. Ottawa are expected to make the playoffs this season, marking their return to the postseason after a four-year hiatus.