Do the people in here who swoon over Tkachuk actually watch Sens games??...cuz if you do, what's the Love Affair with him??...yeah, he's got great physical tools and no one, not even Brendan Gallagher, throws more terrible-angle low-risk shots at the net than Brady...has he actually improved his game at all since coming into the League and being handed 1st line minutes and PP time??...not that I've seen; he's still the exact same player he was when he was drafted, a big, physical, low-IQ winger who's progression in three years has been of a big, physical, low-IQ winger...yup, he's got that Tkachuk nasty streak and he's a bit bigger than his old man and older brother...and also less talented...both his old man & his older brother were almost PPG players by their 3rd year, how's Brady's 3rd year going??...right, pretty much the exact same as his 1st...and his 2nd...so is his "peak" that of either of the other Tkachuk's??...or is it exactly where he's stagnated at in his 3 year career so far??...
...and so now we look at Kotkaniemi's progression in his 3-year career so far...and let's, just for fun, compare it to another kid who had trouble out of the gate and was blasted for years about his high draft position and lack of production despite his visible progression as a player every year; a certain #14 for Philly who didn't fully hit his stride until his 7th year in the NHL...somewhat underwhelming 1st year...struggled in the 2nd year and sent to minors (both of them)...progression in 3rd year (KK actually a bit more than Couts)...progression, not stagnation...does that mean Kotkaniemi is the next Couturier; of course not, however it does show that he is progressing as a player and continues to grow into the NHL game at a higher level than, oh, let's say a certain big body over in Ottawa who was drafted just behind him...does that mean Brady can't progress as well; again, of course not, however we have yet to see any evidence of growth in his game thus far while Kotkaniemi has shown growth in every aspect of his game at the NHL level...
Personally, I take Kotkaniemi over Tkachuk all day every day right now and, until either Brady shows us more than he has or Jesperi falls of the proverbial cliff in his development, I don't see that changing any time soon...