What if Russia Played at the 4 Nations Face-Off?

What would the projected lineup for Russia look like if they were playing in the 4 Nations Face-Off?

Dec 7, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) takes the ice against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the first period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Since the official rosters have been revealed for the 4 Nations Face-Off, debate has swelled. Which team has the best roster? Which team has the most balanced lineup? Which team will take home the gold?

Unfortunately, there is one international best excluded from the 4 Nations Face-Off. Russia is still banned from international competition, but the sanctions against their teams hasn't stopped the hockey world from dreaming of their involvement.

The hockey X account GinoHard put out their projected lineup for Team Russia recently, and it elicited a ton of traffic on social media. With that in mind, let's take a look at Breakway On SI's picks for a potential Russian lineup if they were at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Goalies: Andrei Vasilevskiy, Igor Shesterkin, Sergei Bobrovsky

Three net minders with four Vezina Trophies and three Stanley Cup championships between them would make this Russian trio the winningest group amongst the positions. Shesterkin likely is the third goalie on this depth chart, despite recently signing the richest contract for a goalie in NHL history. That leaves a battle between Bobrovsky and Vasilevskiy for the number one job. Bobrovsky is the defending Cup champion goalie, but Vasilevskiy has two Cups and has led the league in wins five separate times. Have fun scoring on this Russian squad.

Defensemen: Vladislav Gavrikov, Mikhail Sergachev, Dmitry Orlov, Ivan Provorov, Alexander Romanov, Pavel Mintyukov, Dmitry Kulikov

The Russian goalie situation and blue line are two of the strongest position groups among the top international squads. The defensive pairs are balanced, with point collectors like Mintyukov and Sergachev, as well as defensive bricks like Gavrikov, Kulikov, and Romanov.

Forwards: Evgeni Malkin, Alexander Ovechkin, Kirill Kaprizov, Artemi Panarin, Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Svechnikov, Ivan Barbashev, Valeri Nichushkin, Kirill Marchenko, Pavel Buchnevich, Vlad Namestnikov, Pavel Dorofyev, Evgeni Dadanov

Scorers are riddled throughout this lineup, with the greatest goal scorer in NHL history leading the way in Alex Ovechkin. The Achilles' heel for their offense is that they have roughly two true centers in this group. Aside from Malkin and Namestnikov, no one is a true center among these 13 forwards. Barbashev and Buchnevich have experience in the middle, but they flourish on the wings. Players would have to make themselves flexible for the Russian lineup, but they still possess an incredible amount of scoring potential.

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