It's pretty crazy that we're almost to February, and while under normal circumstances the NHL would be gearing up for the All-Star break, this year, the league is gearing up for the first 4 Nations Face-Off break. While the rosters have been known for a few weeks — save for the occasional subs coming in for players who have been injured — we now know who will wear the "C" for their respective nations. First off, let's start with this year's Captain America, which will be Toronto Maple Leafs' superstar Auston Matthews. Not going to lie, I don't think that's a huge surprise. Matthews has been one of the most dominant American-born players pretty much from the second he entered the league (people sometimes forget he dropped a four-goal game in his NHL debut) and currently serves as the captain of arguably the most under-the-microscope team in hockey in the Leafs. So, yeah, it makes sense. Wearing the As will be Detroit's Patrick Kane and Florida's Matthew Tkachuk which makes this an all-Atlantic Division leadership group for Bill Guerin's Team USA. All of the Captains were announced on Thursday so let's see who will be leading the teams from Canada, Sweden, and Finland. No huge surprises, but I am glad to see Florida's Aleksander Barkov getting the nod for Finland. It's kind of crazy, but somehow, despite having just captained a Stanley Cup-winning team last season, I feel like Barkov is still one of the most under-appreciated players in hockey. The guy is ridiculous, and I don't think he always gets his due. Maybe he finally will get that appreciation on this big stage, which will be the NHL's first best-on-best international tournament since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. The 4 Nations Face-Off is something of an opening act for when the NHL makes its big return to the Olympics which will happen at the 2026 Winter Games in Milan and Cortina, Italy. It'll be the first time NHLers have appeared at the Olympics since the 2014 Sochi Olympics.