Now that the 2026 Olympics are in the rearview mirror, best-on-best men's hockey returns in 2028 with the NHL and NHLPA's World Cup of Hockey. Which storylines can we follow two years in advance?
After an exhilarating finish to the men's and women's hockey events at the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan, the appetite for best-on-best hockey is at an all-time high.
Fortunately for NHL fans, the World Cup of Hockey will make its long-awaited return in February 2028, reigniting rivalries and bringing the game's biggest names back to the international stage.
Commissioner Gary Bettman previously announced the 2028 World Cup of Hockey would be played in two venues: one in North America and one in Europe. Those places have yet to be determined, but the NHL's deputy commissioner, Bill Daly, said the announcements are two weeks away. The previous event was hosted exclusively at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
Unlike the 2016 iteration of the World Cup of Hockey, which included Team North America and Team Europe, only individual countries are expected to be represented as teams in the event. The number of participating nations is unclear, but all three previous tournaments used an eight-team format.
Here are the biggest storylines to keep an eye on over the next two years before the 2028 World Cup of Hockey.
Can Team USA Assert Its Dominance?
Team USA broke its 46-year Olympic gold medal drought with heroic efforts from Connor Hellebuyck and Jack Hughes, securing a thrilling overtime win against Team Canada. So what's next?
The current pool of U.S.-born talent in the NHL is arguably the best it has ever been at all three positions. Barring injury, it'll be hard to argue that any changes should be made to their roster in two years.
A win of that magnitude could signal a new era of dominance with the condensed calendar of best-on-best hockey ahead, but nothing is guaranteed. The Olympics and the 4 Nations Face-Off proved that there isn't much separating the top nations, and everyone will be coming back hungrier than ever in 2028.
Sidney Crosby's Last Dance?
While many have speculated that Team Canada's overtime win against Czechia will end up being Sidney Crosby's final appearance on the Olympic stage, it might not be the last time he dons the red maple leaf in a best-on-best tournament.
As one of the most decorated athletes in the sport who has continued to play at an extremely high level late in his career, it would be shocking to see Crosby not be selected to Team Canada for the World Cup of Hockey if he is still willing to suit up.
The 38-year-old has one more season left on his two-year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. While the future of his career beyond that is uncertain, the opportunity to go out on top on the international stage with Team Canada would have to be an intriguing proposition for him. And he hasn't slowed down either, with 59 points in 56 games this season in Pittsburgh.
Will Team Sweden Bounce Back?
A tight overtime loss in a quarterfinal matchup against Team USA undersells how disappointing a tournament it was for Sweden at the 2026 Olympics.
Despite assembling what was arguably the best roster behind Canada and the United States, Sweden failed to win their group and earn a bye to the quarterfinal after two narrow victories over Italy and Slovakia, along with a loss to Finland.
Coach Sam Hallam has been a focal point of criticism for his ice time distribution throughout the tournament, notably sitting key contributors like Filip Forsberg and Rasmus Dahlin for extended periods and in critical moments.
It's likely that Sweden will be ushering in some younger faces on their historically dominant blueline as older players, such as Erik Karlsson and Victor Hedman, begin to age out. This year's Olympics felt like a missed opportunity for them, so the World Cup of Hockey is the earliest chance for redemption in best-on-best hockey.
Will Russia Return?
Few topics are more complex than the status of Russia's eligibility in the international stage of sports, and that conversation will inevitably resurface as the next World Cup of Hockey approaches.
Russia has been banned from International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) competitions since 2022 as a result of the country's invasion of Ukraine.
Russia's men's hockey team last competed at the 2022 Beijing Olympics as the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), losing to Finland in the gold medal game.
During the Olympics, Bettman said the league will follow the IIHF's lead when it comes to the country's participation in future NHL-sanctioned events.
IIHF president Luc Tardif said at that press conference he hopes to have Russian players competing, "as soon as possible, because first it will mean that the world will be a little bit better." In other words, when the war stops, the IIHF will consider reinstating them.
International hockey does not exist in isolation from world events. A best-on-best event should include the deepest possible pool of talent, but any decision of this magnitude will require careful consideration of the geopolitical implications.
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