Brady Tkachuk Not Practicing Ahead Of 4 Nations Final, But Matthew Tkachuk Hints At Him Planning On Playing

Team USA and Team Canada will meet again Thursday night in the 4 Nations Face-Off Championship, but the Americans are dealing with some major injuries ahead of the anticipated rematch.

Charlie McAvoy has been ruled out which is a big loss on the backend, while Matthew Tkachuk and captain Auston Mathews have both battled some injuries, but both were on the on-ice on Wednesday.

Missing from practice? Brady Tkachuk.

The Senators captain left Monday night's game against Sweden — which was ultimately meaningless as far as the championship is concerned — with the US going on to lose 2-1.

Tkachuk has had a big presence this tournament both offensively and physically (although, his last name is Tkachuk; that usually goes without saying), so not having him would be a big loss.

But missing practice doesn't mean he's being ruled out. In fact, his brother says that Brady is saving everything he has for what could be an all-out war Thursday night.

Hopefully, both Tkachuks are ready to go Thursday (for the sake of Team USA and also just because watching those two on the same line is entertaining as hell).

But, for the sake of discussion, who could the United States call upon if they need an additional forward to replace Brady Tkachuk?

Well, the two most-talked-about options are Buffalo's Tage Thompson and Utah's Clayton Keller. Both were considered snubs when the original roster was announced and would both be good options if the Americans need some help.

As for the Canadians, they've stayed a bit healthier but suffered some big losses on their blueline. Vegas' Shea Theodore was ruled out of the tournament after the first game against Sweden, while Colorado's Cale Makar will make his return to the lineup for the championship after missing several games because of injury, including Saturday's first meeting between the US and Canada.