Matthew Tkachuk fires back at Brandon Hagel and Team Canada: hints at Canadian locker room drama

Ahead of the Team USA vs. Canada rematch at the Four Nations Face Off, Canadian star Brandon Hagel seemingly took a shot at his opponents, singling out Brady and Matthew Tkachuk as well as J.T. Miller for their plans to fight early in their first meeting.

With just over 24 hours until the highly anticipated rematch, in what could be the biggest game in the history of the sport, Matthew Tkachuk has fired back at Hagel and Team Canada, with his jab suggesting potential drama in the locker room.

This is in response to Hagel criticizing the group chats between the three USA stars that led to the fighting, and given the earlier victory in this tournament, it's clear to see that Tkachuk and Team USA are oozing confidence heading into the finale of the Four Nations.

It's unclear if there has been any signs of disharmony in Canada's locker room or whether or not Tkachuk is simply stirring things up with his comments, but given the storylines on and off the ice, their next matchup could even surpass what we saw in their first game.

Ultimately though, this is the best rivalry in all of hockey, and with the return to the best-on-best format with every player giving their all, it's been a huge win for the NHL, and if the finale lives up to the hype, the NHL is about to get many, many more eyeballs on their product moving forward.