The 2016 iteration of the World Cup is far removed from the political tensions that came with the early Canada Cup tournaments, but make no mistake: There's nothing Russia would love more than to come out on top of an international tournament played on Canadian soil.

And while the roster is made up of familiar faces from around the NHL looking to get that job done, there are a few relatively unknown but very talented KHL players in the mix to add a touch of old school intrigue.

Here's what we project Russia's lines to look like:

Forwards

Head coach Oleg Znarok's team boasts an embarrassment of riches up front, including a trio of the game's top goal scorers in Alex Ovechkin, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Nikita Kucherov.

If that wasn't enough, superstar center Evgeni Malkin and his heir apparent Evgeny Kuznetsov are there to lock down the middle, with Pavel Datsyuk - who's now plying his trade back home - slotted on the left for good measure.

The third line will be quick and skilled, featuring a pair of KHL forwards and the reigning NHL rookie of the year, while some more defensively responsible players get the call on the fourth line.

Add it all up and Russia's forward group will be as dangerous as any other in this tournament.

Defensemen

Here's where things get a bit iffy for Russia, a country that hasn't produced many elite defensemen over the years.

Andrei Markov is by far the oldest and thereby most experienced defenseman on the roster, but at age 37, may be a bit long in the tooth to keep up with this tournament's star power.

The rest of the top six is young and full of potential, but, apart from maybe Dmitry Kulikov in Buffalo, not quite top pairing material on even their own NHL squads.

One X-factor here could be Nikita Zaitsev, who will be making his Toronto debut after signing with the Maple Leafs during the offseason.

Goalies

The youngster Andrei Vasilevskiy may end up being the best of the bunch down the road, but even after an impressive showing during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he'll remain buried behind a Vezina Trophy winner in Sergei Bobrovsky and Semyon Varlamov, a former finalist for the award.

Both Bobrovsky and Varlamov played well at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, albeit in a poor and disappointing tournament for a team playing on home soil.

Power Play

Word to the wise: Don't take penalties when playing Russia.

These power-play units will run circles around much of the opposition.

Penalty Kill

If Russia gets into penalty trouble, however, the opportunities will be there.

Artem Anisimov and Nikolay Kulemin should see heavy minutes up front, while their more offensively-minded brethren will also be called upon to help lock things down in their own zone during four-on-five situations.

Deploying Ovechkin is never a bad thing, really.

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Vancouver Canucks forward Henrik Sedin has been named Team Sweden's captain for the upcoming World Cup of Hockey, the Swedish Ice Association announced Monday.

Detroit Red Wings forward Henrik Zetterberg was initially named captain, but after pulling out of the tournament because of a knee issue, Sedin has been deemed the replacement.

Sedin's brother, Daniel, will serve as an alternate captain along with Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson.

Last season with the Canucks, Sedin recorded 11 goals and 44 assists in 74 games.

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Few are picking Russia to come out on top at the World Cup, and Canada has long been listed as the favorites.

While the 2016 version of this tournament doesn't have the same tradition as the Canada Cups of old, it's safe to say Russia will do everything possible to steal this one from the true north strong and free, especially after failing to medal at the past three Winter Olympics.

Here are three questions that will need to be answered along the way.

Can Russia bounce back from Sochi disappointment?

Much was expected from a Russian squad playing the 2014 Olympic men's hockey tournament on home soil, but an emotional shootout loss at the hands of T.J. Oshie and the Americans derailed the quest to finish first in the group stage and therefore an easier path to the gold-medal game.

A quarterfinal loss to Finland ensured Russia's failure to earn a medal of any color in Sochi, where the home country eventually finished fifth.

Medals at the three following World Championships (gold in 2014, silver in 2015, bronze in 2016) were nice, but that tournament certainly isn't on the same level as the Olympics, and doesn't have the same level of top-flight NHL talent that the World Cup will boast.

It won't erase the sting of Sochi, but triumph in Toronto has a nice ring to it.

Is the defense good enough?

While Russia's offense was deemed good enough to exclude the likes of Alex Radulov and Ilya Kovalchuk, the blue line leaves much to be desired.

Long gone are the days when Sergei Zubov and Sergei Gonchar dominated at the position. Andrei Markov ranks third all time among Russian defensemen in the NHL, but at age 37, his best days are behind him and there's reason to question whether he can keep up in what's expected to be a fast-paced tournament.

That leaves Dmitry Kulikov and Dmitry Orlov as the next best options, with promising youngsters Nikita Nestorov and Alexei Marchenko set to carry heavy loads.

Watch out for Nikita Zaitsev as a potential game breaker, as the 24-year-old will no doubt be looking to make a good impression in Toronto after signing with the Maple Leafs this summer.

Who starts in goal?

Russia will bring three capable goalies to the World Cup, giving head coach Oleg Znarok reason to pause when deciding who will start.

Sergei Bobrovsky has a Vezina Trophy (2013) on his resume, and backstopped his country to a Bronze at the 2016 World Championships on the strength of a .931 save percentage in nine games.

Semyon Varlamov, however, has proven to be a quality option in net while playing for a Colorado team that doesn't make it easy on him, and he did play well in Sochi when given the chance.

It's Andrei Vasilevskiy who's been most impressive recently, stepping up for Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Out of the three options, his save percentage in 5-on-5 play this past season (including playoffs) rises to the top.

if we eliminate recency bias, Bobrosvky is the likely front-runner for the gig, and Varlamov is probably the backup as a result of his dependable play in recent years.

Vasilevskiy, though, might be the best of the bunch.

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Starting this coming week, Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin will be able to temporarily forget about the grueling task of containing Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid.

That's because the two will be teammates for Team North America at the World Cup. The two are familiar opponents after going head to head not just at the NHL level, but as far back as their days of midget hockey.

"I'm happy Connor McDavid is on our roster because I've been chasing him around for a while since his days with the Toronto Marlboros (in 2011-12), so it'll be nice being on his side," Larkin told NHL.com. "You hear nothing but positive things (about McDavid), and obviously he's a great player, and I'm happy he's on our team."

Aside from McDavid, Larkin is also excited to be reunited with Buffalo Sabres forward Jack Eichel and Toronto Maple Leafs rookie Auston Matthews, both of whom Larkin played alongside on Team USA at the 2015 World Juniors.

"It's pretty cool to think that the three of us played together at the World Junior Championship just a few years ago," Larkin said. "We've come up through the international program together and now we get to represent all the hockey players under the age of 23, and I'm excited to see them and play with them again."

As for how Larkin feels the young squad will do at the tournament, he thinks the team sits in a rather unique position - one that still sees them as a threat, but without the same pressure the more experienced clubs enter with.

"I think this is going to be great because it's a group of guys coming together who are all in the same position; we're young guys in the NHL trying to prove ourselves," Larkin said. "I think the other teams aren't underestimating us, but we don't have that pressure. We're just going to have a ton of fun and play with a lot of speed, and I think teams might be on their heels when they're playing against us."

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Team USA's disappointing finish at the 2014 Winter Olympics is certainly not lost on the team as the World Cup approaches.

Many players who donned the red, white, and blue in Sochi will once again represent their country when the top hockey powers reconvene in Toronto for two weeks, and for them, the World Cup offers a do-over.

"It's a great opportunity for that group in Sochi that we had," New York Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh said, according to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. "We have a lot of the same guys representing the U.S. that kind of get a chance to get back on the right side of things."

After opening the Olympics with three straight wins, the Americans ultimately faltered in the medal round. What made the tournament such a disappointment to the players, according to Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie, was the immense pressure the players placed on themselves, with a seemingly first or last mentality.

"It was a letdown," Oshie said. "It would have been amazing to get a medal, but I think overall we had our eye on gold, and it almost felt like it was gold or bust for us."

As for Minnesota Wild captain Zach Parise, the most devastating part was the final game, which saw the Americans get blown out by Finland in a battle for bronze.

"I thought Canada really played well against us," said Parise, who was captain of the 2014 team. "We really didn't get much offensively. They locked it down pretty good on us and they had good players. You're going to look at their roster 15 years from now and be like, 'Oh my gosh! All these guys were on the same team together?' The ending in Russia with a 5-0 pretty good waxing was tough. Had we gone home after a 1-0 loss to Canada, of course that would have been brutal, but we finished with a kind of disappointing game, and that's what everyone remembers."

So less than two years later, the team is hoping to rectify that disappointing result. However, things won't be easy for the Americans who find themselves in a group with the early favorite Canadians.

But as Capitals defenseman John Carlson notes, there is a simple solution to getting a better result this time around.

"The only way you can fix it is to work harder and get better and get another crack," Carlson said. "Only one team gets to win, so everybody else (in Sochi) was feeling pretty badly for themselves too. So we're going to go out there and leave it all on the line."

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Team Sweden isn't short on offensive firepower.

Sporting a World Cup roster that features that likes of Nicklas Backstrom, Filip Forsberg, and Daniel and Henrik Sedin, the Swedes should have no trouble finding the back of the net.

The team also boasts a blueline overflowing with defensive stalwarts like Erik Karlsson, Victor Hedman, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Not to mention "King" Henrik Lundqvist between the pipes.

But an oft-overlooked part of Team Sweden is center Marcus Kruger, a key defensive specialist with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Kruger, 26, has become a valuable go-to for Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville, given his strengths as a checking center, where his ability to read plays and kill penalties has been a big piece to the team's success.

The hope is that Kruger. who has two Stanley Cup victories to his name, can translate his NHL success to the international stage.

"Everybody wants to contribute to the team success, and this is a pretty cool way too," Kruger told EPSN. "It's rewarding to get to play the last shifts of a game because often it means that if we can keep the puck out of our net, we'll win."

Team Sweden came up short in Sochi, falling to Canada in the gold medal game. Sweden will look to reverse its fortunes this time around, and Kruger will no doubt play a major part in that effort.

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Team Norway's 2-1 win Sunday over France ensured their qualification for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Mattias Norstebo and New York Rangers forward Mats Zuccarello sparked the offense to lead Norway to victory.

The 2018 Games will feature hockey's "Big 6" - Canada, Russia, Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic, and the United States - while Slovakia, Switzerland, and host nation South Korea round out the initial group.

With Norway snapping up one of the three qualifier seeds, it leaves two slots open, which will be decided by Sunday's qualifying matches. Germany faces vs. Latvia, while Belarus takes on Slovenia, and the winners will join the teams participating in the 2018 Games.

A decision hasn't yet been made about whether NHL players will participate in the next Winter Olympics.

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Tomas Kundratek has been added to Team Czech Republic's World Cup roster.

Kundratek, 26, will fill in for Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Radko Gudas at the upcoming tournament, according to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com as Gudas is dealing with an upper-body injury and won't participate.

Kundratek split last season between Riga Dynamo and Bratislava Slovan of the KHL, combining for 24 points in 56 games.

Drafted by the New York Rangers in 2008, Kundratek last appeared in the NHL in 2012-13 with the Washington Capitals. He has 30 games of NHL experience, scoring a goal and six assists.

Earlier Sunday, Team Czech Republic named Czech Extraliga winger Michal Birner as the replacement for injured winger Tomas Hertl.

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