United States projected lines, defense pairs, goalies for 4 Nations Face-Off by NHL.com

The 4 Nations Face-Off starts next Wednesday, and though most of the rosters are set, last-minute replacements for injury are still being made and will be until Monday.

So, it’s time to get down to brass tacks and figure out line combinations, defense pairs and goalie depth charts for Canada, the United States, Finland and Sweden.

Practices start Monday and the first game for each country is Wednesday or Thursday, so much of the roster construction will need to be figured out ahead of time.

With that in mind, a team of three NHL.com writers and editors will take a stab at the lineup for each country.

Here, NHL.com senior writers Dan Rosen and Amalie Benjamin and senior draft writer Mike G. Morreale present how they believe the United States should look when it opens the tournament against Finland on Feb. 13 (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+. SN, TVAS) at Bell Centre in Montreal.

The 4 Nations Face-Off will be held from Feb. 12-20 at Bell Centre in Montreal and TD Garden in Boston. Tickets for each site are on sale now.

Forwards (13)

J.T. Miller -- Jack Eichel -- Matthew Tkachuk

Kyle Connor -- Auston Matthews -- Jack Hughes

Jake Guentzel -- Dylan Larkin-- Brady Tkachuk

Brock Nelson -- Vincent Trocheck -- Matt Boldy

Chris Kreider

To win this tournament you need balance and chemistry from your forwards. You need to mesh speed with speed and combine it with an ability to play down low and finish. You can have one dynamic line with three players that can dazzle with skill, east-west passing, one-timers, the ability to play outside in, but you want to maximize each line to be dangerous to play against and responsible at the same time. These lines represent all of that for the United States. I originally had Connor (Winnipeg Jets) with Eichel (Vegas Golden Knights) and Matthew Tkachuk (Florida Panthers), but I switched to Miller (New York Rangers) because the combination of power and skill on that line would be hard to contain. Pucks will get to the net. Bodies will follow. It will be punishing. Connor with Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Hughes (New Jersey Devils) gives the United States the dynamic scoring line that has all the skill intangibles. Matthews has one of the game's greatest shots. Connor is one of the best finishers in the business. Hughes is one of the most dynamic playmakers. He can focus more on that playing on the wing. Guentzel (Tampa Bay Lightning) plays down low. He's a scorer from below the goal line. The cycle game with Guentzel, Larkin (Detroit Red Wings) and Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa Senators) should allow the United States to hang onto possession and tire out the opposition by forcing them to play in the defense zone. You can play that line against top lines and feel comfortable. It's the same with the fourth line of Trocheck (Rangers), Nelson (Islanders) and Boldy (Minnesota Wild). Call it an elite checking line as all three players can carry the play but have elite hockey IQ and defensive awareness. Kreider can slot in where and if needed, fitting in on either of the bottom two lines and certainly on special teams. -- Rosen

Defensemen (7)

Quinn Hughes -- Charlie McAvoy

Jaccob Slavin -- Adam Fox

Zach Werenski -- Brock Faber

Noah Hanifin

No wholesale changes needed here. This unit brings a little bit of everything: speed, intelligence, competitiveness and, oh yes, star power. It's worth mentioning that since the release of NHL.com's last U.S. lineup projection (Dec. 5), Werenski (Columbus Blue Jackets) leads defensemen in points (31), average ice time (27:23) and shots on goal (110) in 29 games. Hughes (Vancouver Canucks) is second in points (30) in 23 games. Each will play his natural position as left-handed shooters, along with Slavin (Carolina Hurricanes) and Hanifin (Golden Knights). McAvoy (Boston Bruins), Fox (Rangers) and Faber (Wild) complete the right side. United States coach Mike Sullivan could opt to have Hughes and McAvoy at the points on the power play, and Slavin and Werenski on the penalty kill. Slavin, who at 30 years old is the elder statesman of the group, ranks among the top five among all NHL defensemen in takeaways. Fox and Hanifin are each capable of contributing on special teams in any capacity as well. The rotation among these seven will be absolutely seamless. -- Morreale

Goalies (3)

Connor Hellebuyck

Jake Oettinger

Jeremy Swayman

I definitely got the easiest assignment, by far, in detailing the lineup of goalies. Not only has the top three not changed since we started making these projections, through the official naming of the team, but neither has the order I'd place them. Hellebuyck (Jets) could get some votes for the Hart Trophy as the most valuable player in the NHL, in addition to being a shoo-in for the Vezina Trophy as the League's best goalie with a 2.04 goals-against average and .925 save percentage for a team performing above expectations. So, he's my starter. Oettinger is not far behind with a 2.32 GAA and .912 save percentage for the Dallas Stars, but he hasn't been quite as unbeatable as Hellebuyck. Swayman has had a more difficult-than-expected season for the Bruins, but he's been better since the holiday break with a 2.78 GAA and .915 save percentage. This is a banner group, though, still the envy of most of the other squads heading to 4 Nations. -- Benjamin