Auston Matthews May Have Just Found His Next Rival in the Atlantic Division

For all the player rivalries in the league, Auston Matthews seems to be left out of the fray when it comes to a counterfoil to his skillset.

We had Mats Sundin fighting it out with Daniel Alfredsson for years, meanwhile it was a race for greatness between Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin.

With him the focal point of the team's offense, you would think there are dozens of players who could give him a hard time, but they don't come around often. However, there is one player who could give him a nasty time for the foreseeable future and spark the Battle of Ontario even more.

Enter Brady Tkachuk.

Even though the two are more than amicable when it comes to playing internationally, they are on two sides of bitter enemies when it comes to the NHL aspect of things.

Ottawa and Toronto have been rivals since the Senators' inception, and we very well could see a lot of what I like to call "professional hatred". Sure, these two really don't hate each other off the ice, but when it comes to the Atlantic Division; it gets heated.

Fans are also quick to point out that Tkachuk may already have Matthews' number and the rivalry is already in full swing.

But it's the fact that Tkachuk also has so much experience playing alongside Matthews that he knows what can make him tick, and he can use that to give his team a bit of an advantage or relay some insider knowledge about how to neutralize him.

The combination of experience, fan expectations, and the fact that Tkachuk can be downright nasty at times; he's ready to be Lex Luthor to Auston Matthews' Superman.

But it's just a small part of the bigger picture, as Ottawa is fairly close to being a consistent presence in the Atlantic, and with Tkachuk at the helm, they are in good hands.

They took Toronto to six games last playoffs, and with the Senators having a team full of talented players hungry for redemption, they may come out of the gates flying.

The Sens are looking for redemption from last season, and with a healthy lineup that includes the likes of Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Dylan Cozens, Drake Batherson and Shane Pinto; there's no shortage of firepower.

With Toronto essentially set for a playoff spot barring a complete disaster, it's going to have the potential to see the Battle of Ontario yet again in the first round of the playoffs.

It harkens back to an era where we saw the two teams fight tooth and nail every night just for the chance to do it all again. Sundin had Alfredsson. Kessel had Spezza.

Now we've got Matthews and Tkachuk to round out the trilogy.