In more ways than one, Auston Matthews is the new kid on the block.

As expected, all eyes will be on him with the Toronto Maple Leafs come October, but before he steps into the real pressure-cooker, the 2016 first-overall pick will suit up for Team North America at the World Cup of Hockey, where he's the only one on the under-23 roster without a single game played in the NHL.

If Matthews finds himself in need of some advice, he won't have to look too far, as he'll share a dressing room with several teammates that were recently in his shoes.

Aside from Matthews there are four former first-overall picks on North America's roster, including 2013 selection Nathan MacKinnon, who predicts a lot of attention for the Maple Leafs' future star.

"A lot of hype. A lot of expectations A lot of noise. He’s a hot topic," MacKinnon told Mark Spector of Sportsnet. "Going first to Toronto? Yeah, he’s going to be a focal point."

Last season, Connor McDavid was in Matthews' shoes, and the Edmonton Oilers' wonderkid wants his temporary teammate to embrace the experience.

"It’s going to be busy, it’s going to be hectic, and he’s going to love it," McDavid said. "Toronto is going to be a great place for him to play. Part of that is because of the media attention and the fans that they have. Just enjoy it.

"He’ll find a couple of guys that he likes hanging around with. It’s always good to have someone to talk to."

As for Matthews himself, he's ready to absorb all he can while playing with the best of the best.

"It’s a little nerve wracking, in a sense that you’ve never played at the NHL level, nevertheless the top of the top," Matthews said. "For me I just want to learn as much as possible, and just have fun with it. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, this tournament."

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Internationally, Sweden has long been a threat to win any tournament, and expect much of the same when the World Cup of Hockey kicks off in Toronto Sept. 17.

Sweden has assembled one of the most experienced and consistent lineups in the tournament rebirth, and should be a tough test for any country.

With an eye-popping blueline, a deep platoon of forwards, and a future Hall of Famer in goal, the Tre Kronor have a solid foundation at both ends of the ice.

That said, every roster faces adversity, and here are three key questions facing Sweden.

Redemption from Sochi?

Earning an Olympic silver medal is nothing to snuff at, but 2014's loss to Canada stung Sweden for multiple reasons.

Henrik Sedin missed the tournament due to a hand injury, and Henrik Zetterberg withdrew after one game because of a nagging back ailment. Tied in with Nicklas Backstrom being wrongfully deemed ineligible for the gold-medal match, and there's a pressing feeling of "what if?"

Zetterberg unfortunately had to withdraw once again, but Backstrom and Sedin will play a key role for Sweden this time around, and memories from 2014 could serve as extra motivation.

Can Lundqvist shake off playoff rust?

Of all Henrik Lundqvist's 10 playoff appearances throughout his career, last season's run was his worst.

Sure, Hank's Rangers were heavily outplayed in all aspects by the eventual champion Pittsburgh Penguins, but in five games, Lundqvist posted a .867 save percentage and a 4.39 goals against average, astoundingly lower than the .921 clip and 2.28 GAA he's averaged throughout his sparkling postseason career.

Simply put, Sweden goes as far as Lundqvist does, and a bounce back from The King is imperative to his country's success.

Can talented D-corps take team all the way?

Hockey fans - from any country - will have the pleasure of watching some of the games most talented defenseman work in unison on Sweden's blueline.

Erik Karlsson, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Victor Hedman, Anton Stralman, Mattias Ekholm, Niklas Hjalmarsson, and Hampus Lindholm compose arguably the best defensive corps in the tournament, and much of Sweden's offense should be generated from the backend.

Karlsson paced the NHL in assists with 66 last season, while Ekman-Larsson was seventh in scoring among defenseman with 55 points. Stralman and Hedman are partners in Tampa Bay, while Hjalmarsson delivers a steady defensive hand.

Sweden's offensive game plan is sure to involve the swift skating and elite puck moving skills of Karlsson and company, and the defensive talent at the Swede's disposal could prove to be a huge difference maker.

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This almost makes you wish Team Europe or Team North America wins the World Cup.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said back in March that no national anthems will be played before tournament games.

However, Daly also mentioned anthems will still be utilized "when something is won from a tournament perspective," and the two continental teams will have their own original anthems for such an occasion.

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The World Cup will feature some major fire power. We were reminded of that fact Monday, when teams took to the ice to practice for the first time.

Here are the first lines for six of the tournament's eight teams (we're still waiting on the Czech Republic and Team Europe):

Canada

Finland

North America

Russia

Sweden

USA

Yeah, this tournament's going to be fun.

- With h/t to Pro Hockey Talk

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For Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov, national pride takes precedence over business.

The 23-year-old remains a restricted free agent as the World Cup is set to kick off in just under two weeks, but Kucherov is not ready to squander a great opportunity just because he lacks a new contract.

"I have a chance to play for Team Russia against the best players in the world and I'm not going to lose it," Kucherov said, according to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com.

No one understands more about what Kucherov is currently going through than his Team Russia teammate Dmitry Orlov, who also remains without a new contract with the Washington Capitals.

"I think everybody wants to have a contract before the World Cup begins," Orlov said. "Right now I'm trying not to think too much about that. We'll see how it goes. Everybody wants to be signed quicker, but right now I'm getting ready for this tournament and we'll see how it goes."

Kucherov is coming off his third season with the Lightning, one that saw him lead the club with 66 points in 77 games during the regular season, and with 11 goals and 19 points during the postseason.

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The kids are coming in with confidence.

Team North America hit the ice Monday in Montreal for the first time ahead of the World Cup, and if you ask Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon, he's confident about his under-23 squad's chances.

"All of us play in the NHL, and it's a young league," MacKinnon told NHL.com's Tim Campbell. "I think we have some of the best players in the league on this team. We're the most skilled team here, in my opinion. I think we are, just with our speed."

MacKinnon isn't worried about a lack of experience on the team, even though, as Campell writes, no player on the club "has a single game of international best-on-best experience."

"I don't think anybody cares," MacKinnon said.

Straight and to the point.

Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said playoff experience, which a number of players have, will do just fine.

In other words, the club isn't thinking about who's lining up on the other side of the ice. The players are only concerned about Team North America, and will go into the tournament ready to compete.

"We won't tiptoe our way into the tournament," said Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

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Brooklyn may end up only a footnote in the history of the New York Islanders.

The club has an opt-out clause in its 25-year agreement with Barclays Center that kicks in after three seasons, reports Newsday's Jim Baumbach.

The Islanders' 2015-16 season was its first in Brooklyn. It's been so far, so good, as New York won its first playoff series since 1993, eliminating the Atlantic Division-winning Florida Panthers in six games.

Newsday obtained a summary of the agreement between the Islanders and Barclays Center, Baumbach writes:

The summary also reveals an approximate six-month window for the two sides to renegotiate the 25-year license agreement and mandates "good-faith discussions" from both sides before either can opt out. ...

The summary outlines the process involved in triggering the opt-out. After the Islanders finish their second season in Brooklyn, the two sides have until Jan. 1, 2018, to renegotiate the terms of the current deal. If no new deal is reached, the two sides can stay with the current deal or choose to opt out. Each side would have until Jan. 30, 2018 to deliver an opt-out notice in writing.

If the Islanders decide to opt out, the team can choose to leave at the end of either its third or fourth season. If Barclays triggers the opt-out, the Islanders would have to leave after the fourth season.

Almost as interesting as the opt-out clause is the fact the NBA's Brooklyn Nets have priority over the Islanders with respect to scheduling home games, according to the report.

The Islanders pay Barclays Center $2 million annually, while Barclays Center pays the Islanders $53.5 million annually, with that figure going up 1.5 percent each year.

The long-term deal isn't a great one for the Islanders, according to the experts Newsday spoke to.

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With San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's protests during the playing of the American national anthem making daily headlines in the United States, Team USA was asked about the controversy as it gathered in Columbus, Ohio for its World Cup training camp.

The players will be wearing red, white, and blue in Toronto beginning Sept. 17, and it's clear from their comments that they just want to focus on playing hockey. But Boston Bruins forward and former St. Louis Blues captain David Backes did weigh in on the matter, acknowledging that athletes have a tremendous platform to raise issues and influence thousands, if not millions of people.

"I have my opinions," Backes said about Kaepernick's choice to not stand for the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner, he told USA Today Sports' Kevin Allen.

"(Kaepernick's) going to do his thing, but I salute those who have stood for our country, who have died and given limbs and lives for us. I will salute that flag every time it is raised," he said.

Kaepernick cites inequality and police brutality against people of color as the reasons for his protest.

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