"McAvoy over Hughes is an absolute joke": NHL fans react as Auston Matthews gets named Team USA captain for 4 Nations Face-Off 

NHL fans slammed Team USA for naming Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews as its captain for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. Matthews was named to lead the team amid concerns about his fitness. The league’s top goalscorer last season has missed 15 games due to an upper-body injury.

On Thursday, the NHL posted the news about Matthews being chosen as captain on X.

"USA! USA! USA! Everyone say hello to the 4 Nations captains for the United States!" the NHL tweeted.

Matthews might have been the team management’s choice, but fans were not as happy.

"McAvoy over Hughes is an absolute joke," a fan wrote.

Others felt Vancouver Canucks' captain Quinn Hughes would have been the better pick.

"quinn hughes robbed yet again," one fan tweeted.

"Seriously Quinn Hughes not even given an A. Just goes to you show you that it's all about the East. Sorry Quinn we love you," a fan said.

However, some disagreed.

"Hughes can’t get his own teammates to stop hating each other. Yet alone a short tournament," another fan said.

Matthews was an unpopular choice among hockey fans.

"Canada’s gold medal odds just went through the roof lol," a fan commented.

"Matthews captain is wild, he's well known for targeting personal achievements and disappearing when it's actually important. Wild," one fan said.

"The right choice when you want to sell as many jerseys as possible," another fan wrote.

"Terrible captain," a fan said.

Matthews has scored 20 goals in 36 games in his first season as captain of the Maple Leafs.

NHL insider clears the air about Auston Matthews fitness concerns

On Wednesday's edition of "SportsCentre with Jay Onrait," TSN analyst Pierre LeBrun claimed that Matthews had met with Team USA general manager Bill Guerin and proved he wanted to play in the 4 Nations Face-Off.

"Auston Matthews is healthy, he's back and obviously wants to play for Team USA and so yeah it's a done deal he will play for Team USA," LeBrun said.

In his column on Thursday, The Athletic hockey reporter Mike Russo reported that it was a "landslide selection" to have Matthews as its captain.

“The full U.S. hockey ops group and coaching staff voted on captains, and while Tkachuk got a few votes coming off a 2024 Stanley Cup championship, all tallied Matthews was the landslide selection,” Russo wrote.

Matthews last played for the USA at the 2016 World Championships.