Brady Tkachuk's return to face the Senators isn't a hot ticket

For a game that should be one of the hottest tickets of the season, there are still plenty of good seats available for Brady Tkachuk’s return to Ottawa.

Fans of the Senators aren’t flocking to see the return of their former captain to the Canadian Tire Centre on Wednesday.

As of Monday at noon, there were still more than 2,000 tickets available for Tkachuk’s first game against the Senators since he demanded a trade last summer and was dealt to the Florida Panthers in June.

If you’re surprised this game isn’t a sellout already, you’re not alone on that front, but there is still time for fans to snap up seats to welcome Tkachuk back for the 7:30 p.m. puck drop.

The Senators have averaged 15,286 fans in four home games in the 17,010-seat arena this season. The only sellout was on opening night, when there was a crowd of 17,510 on hand for the club’s 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.

The club had 15,025 against the Nashville Predators on Oct. 11, along with 14,086 against the St. Louis Blues last Tuesday and 14,435 last Thursday in a 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders.

No matter how many people are in the building, the expectation is that Tkachuk will be booed every time he touches the puck, and that the reaction to a video thanking him for his time in Ottawa will be mixed.

Tkachuk was named the National Hockey League’s first star of the week on Monday after posting back-to-back hat tricks, with six goals and 10 points in four games.

“Once we get there, it will hit a little more,” Tkachuk said Monday in Florida of facing the Senators. “It still feels like a game you circle on the calendar. Like a lot of people, you can’t believe it’s here.

“Once we land in Ottawa and step foot and see some of the guys, it will be like, ‘OK, it’s here.’ I’m going to be nervous. It’s going to be a weird or cool experience, but I’m looking forward to it.”

Tkachuk said he will need to feed off the emotion of the crowd.

“I have to use that emotion to my advantage. It’s going to be emotional for me and in the building,” Tkachuk said. “I just have to be able to channel and use that in the right areas.”