Russian hockey legend Viacheslav Fetisov has questioned the quality of a World Cup of Hockey without his compatriots, and believes that his country can send a team to the competition in 2024.
Plans for the tournament were announced on Wednesday, with the NHL revealing that a 17-day window in February that year is being targeted for its first edition since 2016.
Reacting to the news, two-time Olympic gold medalist and three-time Stanley Cup winner Fetisov stated that he believes Russia will send a team to the World Cup of Hockey despite doubts cast by NHL commissioner Bill Daly given the current political climate.
"The World Cup without [Evgeni] Malkin, [Alexander] Ovechkin and [Artemi] Panarin? I can’t believe it," Fetisov scoffed.
"If you have these guys playing in the [NHL], why can’t you make a team out of them?
"Based on logic and reason, I think the Russian team will participate in the World Cup," he added.
The 2024 World Cup of Hockey is set to feature eight teams at the minimum with games played across North America and Europe, according to Daly.
To discuss important issues related to the competition, Daly has met with the NHLPA players' union and International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) president Luc Tardif, who has overseen Russian teams being banned from international competitions.
Russia was also stripped of the right to host the senior World Championships and World Junior Championships in 2023 as a response to the military operation in Ukraine.
These developments lead Daly to concede that there is "still uncertainty about the potential for Russia to have a team in the World Cup".
Daly confirmed that the NHL and NHLPA are looking at a shortlist of markets to host games including select European cities.
With the NHL currently suspending its relationships with Russia, it is unclear whether the list would include the likes of Moscow and St Petersburg.
Boasting Russian stars such as Ovechkin and Valeri Nichushkin, who is a reigning Stanley Cup champion with the Colorado Avalanche, the 2022-2023 NHL season is set to get underway in October.