Following the shocker of a trade that saw pending unrestricted free agent Mikko Rantanen get traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, could the same happen to Mitch Marner? Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews will lead Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. The 27-year-old forward was named captain of the United States on Thursday afternoon, less than two weeks before the tournament begins in Montreal and Boston. This is Matthews' second time being part of the leadership group for a United States team at the international level. The Scottsdale, Arizona-born forward was an assistant captain for the US at the 2016 World Junior Championship. He scored seven goals and four assists for 11 points in seven games with the United States. They captured the bronze medal that year, defeating Sweden 8-3. On Thursday morning, Matthews' teammate, William Nylander, was named an assistant captain for Sweden [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/why-maple-leafs-star-william-nylander-was-named-an-alternate-captain-sweden-at-the-4-nations-face-off] at the 4 Nations tournament. Matthews was named captain of the Maple Leafs on Aug. 14, taking over for John Tavares, who passed along the role to star forward. Matthews is the 26th captain in the club's history and the first US-born player to wear the "C' for Toronto. The three-time Rocket Richard winner has 20 goals and 18 assists in 36 games this season with the Maple Leafs. On Jan. 22, Matthews hit the 20-goal mark for the ninth straight time since entering the NHL in 2016. Matthews has missed 15 games this season with a nagging upper-body injury, which appears now to be behind him. Since returning to Toronto's lineup on Jan. 4, the forward has 15 points (nine goals and six assists) in 12 games. According to NHL insider Pierre LeBrun [https://x.com/PierreVLeBrun/status/1884641111815094516?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1884641111815094516%7Ctwgr%5E4f8f43eadbfb4a63cfb61dc3022c52ecd00262b2%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftempest.saymedia.com%2F%2Fcontent-items%2Fcs0279dd9220002668%2FContentArticle%2Fview%2Fci02f2e5c960002680], Team USA GM Bill Guerin met with Matthews and Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving on Wednesday. LeBrun added that barring a setback, the Maple Leafs captain is "a full go" for the 4 Nations Face-Off. Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk and Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy were named alternate captains for the United States. The 4 Nations Face-Off tournament goes from Feb. 12 to 20 at Montreal's Bell Centre and Boston's TD Garden. Every team (Canada, USA, Finland, and Sweden) will play each other once before the championship game in Boston on Feb. 20. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjExNjM5NDEwNTc4NDM0MDI0/googlenews.svg] Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwytvfCA?ceid=CA:en&oc=3] to never miss a story.
