Ryan Kennedy and Mike Stephens give their Metropolitan Division rankings ahead of the 2023-24 NHL season. Ilya Sorokin and Igor Shesterkin chat before the 2023 NHL All-Star Game. [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk5MjY4NjI1NjcxMDA2MTU4/usatsi_19921107.jpg] Ilya Sorokin and Igor Shesterkin chat before the 2023 NHL All-Star Game. With the NHL’s recent announcement [https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-and-nhlpa-could-return-to-olympics-in-2026-and-beyond-345649998] it is working to stage a World Cup of Hockey type of tournament in February 2025, it won’t be long before the roster selection process begins for the world’s best hockey nations. Because of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, the NHL and NHLPA will almost assuredly have to address the situation for the next World Cup with a philosophy that’s worked to deal with Russian players in other sports – namely, the opportunity to play as Russians without using the country’s name or flag. So, if we’re going to move ahead with roster predictions for a 2025 World Cup – which we started late last week by posting our picks for Team Canada’s roster [https://thehockeynews.com/news/predicting-a-2025-team-canada-world-cup-roster] then turning our attention to the projected lineup for Team USA [https://thehockeynews.com/news/predicting-a-2025-team-usa-world-cup-of-hockey-roster] – we’re going to project a Russian roster with that same principle in mind. As is true for all team rosters, there are going to be unforeseeable changes to the roster, as injuries and competitive changes will create job spots for some and take them away for others. However, by and large, the makeup of the teams we’re focusing on will be straightforward – the most talented players of every nation should be the ones representing their homeland. Today, we’re analyzing the expected roster for that otherwise-unnamed Russian team. Let’s get to it: ROSTER PREDICTION Goalies: Igor Shesterkin, Ilya Sorokin, Andrei Vasilevskiy Other options in goal: Sergei Bobrovsky, Semyon Varlamov Defense: Mikhail Sergachev (RD), Nikita Zadorov (RD), Artem Zub (RD), Nikita Zaitsev (RD), Dmitry Orlov (LD), Ivan Provorov (LD), Vladislav Gavrikov (LD), Alexander Romanov, LD Other options on defense: Ilya Lyubushkin (LD), Dmitry Kulikov, RD Forward: Evgeni Malkin (C), Evgeny Kuznetsov (C), Ivan Barbashev (C), Yakov Trenin (C), Nikita Kucherov (RW), Kirill Kaprizov (RW), Vladimir Tarasenko (RW), Valeri Nichushkin (RW), Artemi Panarin (LW), Alexander Ovechkin (LW), Andrei Svechnikov (LW), Pavel Buchnevich (LW) Other options at forward: Matvei Michkov (LW), Andrei Kuzmenko (RW), Evgenii Dadonov (LW), Alexander Barabanov (LW) THE LOWDOWN While the Russians do have some high-value players on defense and at forward, they’re in some ways the opposite of the Canadian and American teams insofar as their biggest strength is in net. Certainly, with three elite goaltenders in Vasilevskiy, Shesterkin and Sorokin, they have competitors who can steal games all on their own. And if one of those three goalies is hurt or otherwise chooses not to play in the World Cup, the team can turn to veterans Bobrovsky and Varlamov as insurance options. Otherwise, the Russian team’s next-biggest strength is their forwards – specifically, on the wings, where elite-level performers including Panarin, Kucherov, Kaprizov and Ovechkin all can step up and be difference-makers. Their core of top talent up front, most notably Malkin and Ovechkin, are now on the wrong side of their mid-30s, but there’s still very good depth overall at forward. The same can’t be said for the Russians’ weakest spot: on defense. Sergachev and Orlov will be a solid top pairing, but after that, there’s a drop-off in overall talent in the next two pairings, and then there’s an even bigger drop-off in reserve talent they’ll lean on if one of their top six blueliners can’t play in the tournament. Compared to the American and Canadian defense corps, Russia’s is third-best, and not by a small margin. Overall, this team could finish in the top three of the World Cup teams in 2025, but there’s a fair chance they’re overtaken by Sweden, Finland or even Czechia. That said, even if they fail to ascend to the top of the pecking order in the next best-on-best tournament, the Russians will be a team to keep an eye on.
