Russia's 4 Nations roster: Alex Ovechkin, Kucherov & stacked NHL roster that could've lined up for debarred nation

When looking at the countries with the most gold medals at the World Championship games, Team Canada and Team Russia stand alone. With Canada holding 28 medals and USSR/Russia holding 27, there's been tons of talk surrounding the country's absence from the 4 Nations Face-Off.

While the eyes of the NHL community are all set on the first-ever 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, players like Artemi Panarin have expressed their disappointment over the country's absence.

According to The Globe and Mail, a Canadian outlet, Russia and Belarus have been barred from international competition because of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, with the International Ice Hockey Federation citing security concerns in a statement released last week.

Had the country been allowed to participate, they undoubtedly would have fielded one of the strongest teams in the entire tournament. Below, you can see a mock roster for the country's 4 Nations Face-Off team created using PuckPedia's Puck GM feature:

Forwards

• Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)
• Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins)
• Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning)
• Artemi Panarin (New York Rangers)
• Vladimir Tarasenko (Detroit Red Wings)
• Ivan Barbashev (Vegas Golden Knights)
• Kirill Kaprizov (Minnesota Wild)
• Pavel Buchnevich (St. Louis Blues)
• Valeri Nichushkin (Colorado Avalanche)
• Kirill Marchenko (Columbus Blue Jackets)
• Matvei Michkov (Philadelphia Flyers)
• Andrei Svechnikov (Carolina Hurricanes)
• Vladislav Namestnikov (Winnipeg Jets)

Defense

• Nikita Zadorov (Boston Bruins)
• Dmitry Orlov (Carolina Hurricanes)
• Mikhail Sergachev (Utah Hockey Club)
• Vladislav Gavrikov (LA Kings)
• Ivan Provorov (Columbus Blue Jackets)
• Arytom Zub (Ottawa Senators)
• Ilya Lyubushkin (Dallas Stars)

Goalies

• Sergei Bobrovsky (Florida Panthers)
• Igor Shesterkin (New York Rangers)
• Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning)

Artemi Panarin speaks on Russia being excluded from 4 Nations Face-Off

Because of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, if the NHL decides to bring the 4 Nations Face-Off back next year, there's no telling whether the country will be able to compete.

Although players from Russia are in the US for the 2024-25 NHL season and have nothing to do with the conflict between the two countries, the International Ice Hockey Federation has decided that the country can't participate in international competitions.

While international hockey is considered a return to hockey's roots, given the long and storied history of international play, some of the best players in the world have to watch from the bench.

In an interview with The New York Post, Artemi Panarin said many players want to compete and represent their country.

“It’s pretty sad, cause you always want to play international tournaments and represent your country," Panarin said. "It’s just sad, but we can’t do anything. One thing I know is that most of the players probably want us to be able to play in these events. I know players are not against that.”

Only time will tell whether something changes between now and next year.