With ten days to go to the 4 Nations Face-Off, speculation around rosters, missing players, and snubs abound, as has the talks about how a couple of teams missing from the event would do if they had a chance to skate at the NHL-organized tournament.
Team Russia is one of them. Of course, the team is subject to a ban by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and won’t be able to take part in the event, just as they missed the last two-and-a-half years of international events, including the U18 World Championship and U20 World Juniors.
Related: Guide to the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off
With also Team Czechia being not invited to the February tournament, it’s interesting to consider how these teams would have fared at the games in Montreal and Boston. With plenty of superstars on its roster, in particular between the pipes and at forward, the Russians would most likely have had the chance to do plenty of damage.
So, what would a Team Russia look like at the 4 Nations Face-Off? Using the same framework established to build the existing teams (13 forwards, seven defensemen, and three goaltenders), let’s take a look at what the Russians could bring to the table and how their roster would stack up against the rest of the crop. Only NHL players will be taken into consideration, with a couple of Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) skaters having some kind of a theoretical chance if the team made it to the tournament (D Alexander Nikishin and F Evgeny Kuznetsov).
Team 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 definitely some talent here. Apart from Ovechkin and his hunt for Wayne Gretzky’s record, there are a lot of players who are legit scoring stars in the NHL, like Kucherov or Kaprizov. It’d be unlikely, however, to have Ovechkin and Malkin on the same line – their age can’t be denied and they’d most likely look better with some more mobile players to take advantage of their strengths.
Traditionally, Team Russia is lacking in the middle. With Kuznetsov never reaching superstar status, the Russians never enjoyed too much depth at center, while the scoring power on the wings is something that hardly other nations can match. With Malkin’s age ruling him out from first-line duties – at least at even strength – Barbashev may be the natural pick to play between the dynamic duo of Kucherov and Panarin, with Pavel Buchnevich anchoring the second unit with Ovechkin and Kaprizov.
The rest of the forward group features interesting options like the Blue Jackets’ pair of Marchenko and Voronkov, with two strong candidates for a move upward in the depth chart in Nichushkin and Svechnikov. Namestnikov can serve well in a two-way forward role, with Michkov being called to get experience and share the locker room with other greats.
Team Russia Defensemen
- Vladislav Gavrikov (Los Angeles Kings)
- Pavel Mintyukov (Anaheim Ducks)
- Dmitri Orlov (Hurricanes)
- Ivan Provorov (Blues Jackets)
- Mikhail Sergachev (Utah Hockey Club)
- Nikita Zadorov (Boston Bruins)
- Artem Zub (Ottawa Senators)
The Russian defense doesn’t look as intimidating as the forwards, although there’s a clear sign of progress, with some interesting names emerging, like Mintyukov. While he may not develop into an elite offensive NHL defenseman capable of getting to the 100-point mark in a single season like Erik Karlsson, the Moscow native is developing nicely on a struggling Ducks team.
Another interesting player on the list is Zub. The composed defenseman is in his fourth season with more than 20 minutes a night for the Senators, and at this point looks like the ideal candidate to support Sergachev on the team’s top pairing. If things don’t go well, there’s always Gavrikov, another reliable option on the Russian blue line.
Team Russia Goalies
- Igor Shesterkin (Rangers)
- Ilya Sorokin (New York Islanders)
- Andrei Vasilevskiy (Lightning)
There isn’t much to say here – the only problem would be who’ll be the starter. At this point, Shesterkin looks like the best option, although Vasilevskiy has better stats and perhaps more stature, in a way.
And in the pipeline, there are other interesting options, like the Hurricanes’ Pyotr Kochetkov and the San Jose Sharks’ Yaroslav Askarov, not to omit recent Stanley Cup champion Sergei Bobrovsky.
All in all, the Russians would bring an extremely competitive roster to the 4 Nations Face-Off. Perhaps, the biggest problem for the team wouldn’t be centers, nor defensemen, but coaching.
