DETROIT >> The United States roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in February will be revealed in less than three weeks now, on Dec. 4.

Around the hockey world, speculation on who’ll be on the rosters for the U.S., Canada, Sweden and Finland is beginning to grow and create a ton of discussion. So many elite players will be watching, rather than playing and representing their countries in the first international best-vs.-best hockey tournament since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Patrick Kane is one of the most decorated American players of all-time, a future Hall of Famer. But will the Red Wings forward be on the Team USA roster Dec. 4 when it’s revealed?

Kane, who’ll turn 36 Tuesday, would love to be in the tournament. But even he realizes the pool of available American talent is deep these days.

“You hear about it more lately,” said Kane, with the tournament approaching and the roster reveal coming soon. “As the season started I wasn’t thinking about it too much, but now in the last (few) days you see commercials on it, the media is asking about it, and you start thinking about it more. I didn’t realize they named the team so quickly.

“There’s a lot of good players, a lot of good American forwards. We have a few on this team (Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat are on many projections). We’ll see how it all shakes out.”

Kane signed with the Wings in November 2023 after having hip-resurfacing surgery several months earlier. Kane showed no ill effects, producing 47 points (20 goals, 27 assists) in 50 games and re-signing with the Wings on a one-year, incentive-laden contract in June.

The points have been a little more difficult to come by this season. Kane’s power-play goal in Wednesday’s 3-2 overtime victory over Pittsburgh was his third goal and 10th point this season in 15 games, with two goals and five of those points coming on the power play.

Bill Guerin, Team USA’s general manager for the tournament, told The Athletic recently Kane is being evaluated along with many other potential players.

“Patty deserves the utmost respect, and we’re watching him” Guerin told The Athletic. “We talked a couple months ago about everything because I wanted to be open and honest with him, and he’s great. He’s a high-character, classy guy and understands it. But, like I said, we’re watching him as close as we’re watching everybody else.”

Kane has represented Team USA in the Olympics (2010, 2014), three world championships (2008, 2018, 2019), one World Cup (2016) and world junior championships (2007) and has treasured the experiences and memories.

“I’ve always enjoyed representing USA, and USA Hockey has always been great to me and my family over the years, starting at the national program (Plymouth Township-based United States National Team Development Program) and heading to playing in a couple of Olympics and national championships as well,” Kane said. “The world juniors was great, a lot of great memories with the USA sweater on. It would be an honor. (But) there’s a lot of good forwards. We’ll see what they decide and which way they want to go.

“Right now, especially to start the season, you think about your team and how you’re playing for your own team and how you can do your best there and see what happens with making the team there.”

Kane remembers winning the silver medal at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, the excitement and passion around the tournament, and thinking about all the possibilities ahead.

“You get to the gold-medal game and lose by a goal and that age you think about having of plenty of opportunities to get back and win it,” Kane said. “(In) 2014 we had an unbelievable round-robin and make it to the semis and lose to Canada 1-0 and suddenly those are a couple opportunities missed. We play World Cup in 2016 and didn’t have a great showing, but you think you’re going to have a lot more opportunities and we haven’t been back since to any big tournaments the last eight or nine years.

“It’s (the 4-Nations tournament) a good opportunity. USA Hockey has done a good job of growing players, and the game, and it should put together a good team.”

Ice chips

The Wings assigned goaltender Ville Husso back to Grand Rapids after Wednesday’s victory in Pittsburgh, meaning Alex Lyon (lower-body) is healthy to play. Lyon could get the start Friday in Anaheim, with Cam Talbot playing Saturday in Los Angeles.

Talbot continued his torrid play, making 31 saves in Wednesday’s victory. … Jonatan Berggren finally scored his first goal of the season Wednesday, ending a 14-game drought.

“That was a really good feeling,” Berggren told reporters. “We’ve created a lot of chances. It kind of felt like I was cursed there sometimes, but lucky to get the first one.” … This is a particular unique and exhausting road trip for the Wings, who traveled from Pittsburgh to Anaheim after the game. The Wings play three games in four nights in California.

“You’re smart about what you’re doing off the ice,” defenseman Moritz Seider said of the conditioning. “You just try to maximize your recovery time. You lay down a little bit more eventually because it’s usually something you don’t do, but other than that we’re all professional enough to stand through it and go from there.”