With ten days to go to the 4 Nations Face-Off, hypothesis round rosters, lacking gamers, and snubs abound, as has the talks about how a few groups lacking from the occasion would do if they’d an opportunity to skate on the NHL-organized match.
Crew Russia is certainly one of them. After all, the group is topic to a ban by the Worldwide Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and received’t have the ability to participate within the occasion, simply as they missed the final two-and-a-half years of worldwide occasions, together with the U18 World Championship and U20 World Juniors.
Associated: Information to the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off
With additionally Crew Czechia being not invited to the February match, it’s fascinating to contemplate how these groups would have fared on the video games in Montreal and Boston. With loads of superstars on its roster, specifically between the pipes and at ahead, the Russians would more than likely have had the possibility to do loads of harm.
So, what would a Crew Russia appear like on the 4 Nations Face-Off? Utilizing the identical framework established to construct the prevailing groups (13 forwards, seven defensemen, and three goaltenders), let’s check out what the Russians might carry to the desk and the way their roster would stack up towards the remainder of the crop. Solely NHL gamers shall be considered, with a few Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) skaters having some type of a theoretical probability if the group made it to the match (D Alexander Nikishin and F Evgeny Kuznetsov).
Crew Russia Forwards
- Ivan Barbashev (Vegas Golden Knights)
- Pavel Buchnevich (St. Louis Blues)
- Kirill Kaprizov (Minnesota Wild)
- Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning)
- Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins)
- Kirill Marchenko (Columbus Blue Jackets)
- Matvei Michkov (Philadelphia Flyers)
- Vladislav Namestnikov (Winnipeg Jets)
- Valeri Nichushkin (Colorado Avalanche)
- Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)
- Artemi Panarin (New York Rangers)
- Andrei Svechnikov (Carolina Hurricanes)
- Dmitri Voronkov (Blue Jackets)
There’s undoubtedly some expertise right here. Other than Ovechkin and his hunt for Wayne Gretzky’s document, there are quite a lot of gamers who’re legit scoring stars within the NHL, like Kucherov or Kaprizov. It’d be unlikely, nonetheless, to have Ovechkin and Malkin on the identical line – their age can’t be denied and so they’d more than likely look higher with some extra cell gamers to benefit from their strengths.
Historically, Crew Russia is missing within the center. With Kuznetsov by no means reaching celebrity standing, the Russians by no means loved an excessive amount of depth at middle, whereas the scoring energy on the wings is one thing that hardly different nations can match. With Malkin’s age ruling him out from first-line duties – no less than at even energy – Barbashev could be the pure decide to play between the dynamic duo of Kucherov and Panarin, with Pavel Buchnevich anchoring the second unit with Ovechkin and Kaprizov.
The remainder of the ahead group options fascinating choices just like the Blue Jackets’ pair of Marchenko and Voronkov, with two sturdy candidates for a transfer upward within the depth chart in Nichushkin and Svechnikov. Namestnikov can serve properly in a two-way ahead position, with Michkov being known as to get expertise and share the locker room with different greats.
Crew Russia Defensemen
- Vladislav Gavrikov (Los Angeles Kings)
- Pavel Mintyukov (Anaheim Geese)
- Dmitri Orlov (Hurricanes)
- Ivan Provorov (Blues Jackets)
- Mikhail Sergachev (Utah Hockey Membership)
- Nikita Zadorov (Boston Bruins)
- Artem Zub (Ottawa Senators)
The Russian protection doesn’t look as intimidating because the forwards, though there’s a transparent signal of progress, with some fascinating names rising, like Mintyukov. Whereas he could not turn into an elite offensive NHL defenseman able to attending to the 100-point mark in a single season like Erik Karlsson, the Moscow native is growing properly on a struggling Geese group.
One other fascinating participant on the listing is Zub. The composed defenseman is in his fourth season with greater than 20 minutes an evening for the Senators, and at this level seems like the best candidate to assist Sergachev on the group’s high pairing. If issues don’t go properly, there’s at all times Gavrikov, one other dependable choice on the Russian blue line.
Crew Russia Goalies
- Igor Shesterkin (Rangers)
- Ilya Sorokin (New York Islanders)
- Andrei Vasilevskiy (Lightning)
There isn’t a lot to say right here – the one drawback could be who’ll be the starter. At this level, Shesterkin seems like the most suitable choice, though Vasilevskiy has higher stats and maybe extra stature, in a manner.
And within the pipeline, there are different fascinating choices, just like the Hurricanes’ Pyotr Kochetkov and the San Jose Sharks’ Yaroslav Askarov, to not omit current Stanley Cup champion Sergei Bobrovsky.
All in all, the Russians would carry an especially aggressive roster to the 4 Nations Face-Off. Maybe, the most important drawback for the group wouldn’t be facilities, nor defensemen, however teaching.
