If an International Best-on-Best Tournament Broke Out Tomorrow, Which Red Wings Would Represent Their Country?

We haven't had men's international best-on-best hockey in years. If it came back, which current Detroit Red Wings would represent their nations?

As hockey fans, we're starved for men's international best-on-best competition.

We were last treated to such a display in 2016 with the NHL-organized World Cup of Hockey in Toronto but even that carried a not insignificant asterisk.  There was the delightful but under-achieving Team North America and the farcical Team (Some of) Europe, which wound up the event's runner-up.

For true international men's competition, we have to go back to the 2014 Sochi Olympics—to date, the fifth and final Olympic Games the NHL has allowed its players to participate in.

(As a brief aside, the ongoing Women's World Cup has left me thinking about how we have been deprived of the chance to use Olympic appearances as a marker of greatness or tool of historical comparison.  In the opening match day of the competition in New Zealand and Australia, Brazil's Marta and Canada's Christine Sinclair each appeared in their sixth World Cups.  To remain one of the best two or three players at your position from your country over a 24-year period is spectacular, a feat of longevity so great that it becomes an achievement in and of itself.  Both Marta and Sinclair have produced extraordinary results at the World Cup, but just getting their six times is incredible enough on its own.  For NHL players, using Olympic appearances as a barometer of greatness leads you to a flawed understanding: Kris Draper has appeared in more Olympics than Connor McDavid.  With respect to Draper's game, that shouldn't be the case.)

The league has (short-sightedly) frozen NHL participation in the Olympics, preferring that its pet project, the World Cup of Hockey, serve the function of international hockey instead.  The league intended to hold that event in 2024, but it's since postponed the next World Cup until at least 2025.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine makes it impossible for Russia to participate in international athletics, and, for a sport like hockey that is already starved for legitimate quality competition beyond the traditional powers, that represents a major impediment to a return to best-on-best international play.

Nonetheless, for the moment, we'll set those geo-political concerns aside and think about which current Red Wings would represent their nations should a men's international best-on-best tournament break out tomorrow.

I've sub-divided the candidates into three categories: Locks, Those with a Good Chance, and Hopefuls.  Without further ado, here's a look:

Historically, men's American hockey has struggled to produce great centermen.  Team USA has had its fair share of great goaltenders, defenders, and wingers, but elite American pivots have been fewer and farther between.  

The present generation of men's American hockey doesn't suffer from that problem.  Between Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, Jack Hughes, and Tage Thompson, there is no shortage of quality options down the middle for Team USA.

Still, despite that competition, Larkin should be a lock for the Americans, and his two-way play is his differentiating factor.  He may not be able to run and gun with a Jack Hughes or even a Tage Thompson, but his 200-foot reliability will be irresistible to whoever winds up the American coach at this hypothetical competition.

Seider is the surest bet of any Red Wing to make his country's hypothetical international best-on-best tournament.  There is no German Olympic team that doesn't feature Mo Seider in a starring role.

Since there's not much to discuss with regards to his candidacy, I'd rather focus on the fact that Germany offers a great case as to the value of international hockey.  As a hockey country on the rise, Germany can't match the depth of a Sweden, Canada, or USA team, but, between Seider, Leon Draisaitl, and Tim Stutzle, the Germans don't want for star power.  

Getting the chance to see a group with those three at the tip of the spear compete with the traditional powers would be a wonderful feature of any potential men's best-on-best in the coming years, and those players deserve the chance to re-establish Germany's place in the men's international heap.

Raymond might be closer to a lock than I'm giving him credit for here, but after a down sophomore season, I think it's more accurate to describe him as a "probable" for Team Sweden than as a guarantee.

His 45 points a year ago placed him 18th among Swedes in the NHL, and I expect his hands, vision, and general offensive upside should be more than enough to crack this Swedish roster.

Because of the depth of Sweden's talent pool though, I would stop short of calling him a "lock" to appear on that team, even if it's far more likely than not he does.  A strong showing at last spring's World Championships in Finland and Latvia (eight points in eight games) only helps Raymond's case.

DeBrincat occupies a similar territory to Raymond: Probably too good for just having "a good chance" but circumstantially not quite at the level of "lock."  

If I were choosing an American roster, DeBrincat would be on my list without a second thought, but there is precedent for Team USA inexplicably leaving one of its best pure scorers home at these tournaments.

For DeBrincat, there are a few obstacles.  First, he had a down year in 2022-23 relative to his standards, and second, scoring wingers are often the first sacrifices in situations like this.  

With at least some of the centers I named above liable to shift out wide, the competition to earn a roster spot as a winger will be formidable on Team USA, and a lot of coaches will be scared to use a roster spot on a player who profiles as a pure scorer.

Despite at least some uncertainty, I would venture to suggest that DeBrincat belongs in the American forward group because of his scoring touch.

With the likes of Roope Hintz, Sebastian Aho, Patrik Laine, and Mikko Rantanen, Finland's forward group at this hypothetical tournament should be as good any present; however, on the back end, things look quite a bit murkier.  When it comes to the Finnish blue line, Miro Heiskanen is a lock, and then you're left with a decent crop  of serviceable but not elite NHLers to choose from.  

Olli Maatta is firmly in that mix and could easily wind up with a roster spot as a result. He appeared in eight World Championship games for the Fins this spring, giving five assists and finishing with a +1 rating. 

To continue our focus on Finland, in net, the Fins will lean on Juuse Saros as their first and foremost option.  After that, there are a handful of credible candidates for the back-up and third jobs, and Ville Husso belongs in that conversation.

I think it's fair to say that goalie selection at a tournament is more closely tied to current form than it is for skaters; in other words, you wouldn't pick a life-long third liner coming off a hot month, but you might pick a goalie you didn't expect to consider because they're going into the tournament in torrid form.

As a result, goaltending can be a bit trickier to project (even more so since Saros' hold on the top spot on the depth chart is so obvious), but Husso is a legitimate candidate to serve as one of his back-ups.

I alluded to this in relation to Raymond, and now I'll be more explicit when it comes to Berggren: Sweden has phenomenal forward depth at its disposal, but I only count three forwards who must be on the roster come our hypothetical tournament—Elias Pettersson, Mika Zibanajed, and William Nylander.

Berggren scored seven points in eight games for the Tre Kronor at Worlds in the spring, and his mature offensive game could have him in line for a major break-out sooner rather than later.  He might not be a favorite to crack this roster, but there is absolutely a path for Berggren to join the Swedish ranks whenever they next get the chance to compete for men's international glory.

The 19-year-old Kasper is a hopeful for our tournament in a different sense of the word.  If Austria qualifies, Kasper will be there, but that condition is far from assured.

In men's ice hockey, Austria has competed in 12 different Olympics.  The nation's best result came at St. Moritz in 1948: sixth place.  Most recently, the Austrians finished 10th in Sochi in 2014.  There is a decent track record of recent appearances though, with the Austrians participating in three of the five Olympic hockey tournaments that included NHLers (Nagano in '98, Salt Lake City in '02, and Sochi).

Kasper is the one player on this list who will have an easier time making his national team than cracking Detroit's opening night roster.  He played in one NHL game last season, and the only other Austrian to play an NHL game was 21-year-old Marco Rossi (who appeared in 19 of them for the Minnesota Wild a year ago).  If Austria makes our tournament, Kasper will be there, and he'll play a leading role.

Walman is probably the longest long-shot on this list, and that has everything to do with the depth of talent available to Team Canada. It's no secret that a Canadian B team could compete for a medal, but if there are roster spots up for grabs, they probably sit along the blue line.

If Walman continues to blossom into a legitimate top pair NHL defenseman (more than just being a good complement for Mo Seider on Detroit's top pair), then he could play his way into contention for a spot with the Canadians.