[TheScorpion]

With no best-on-best international tournaments on the horizon, it seems we'll have to make do with hypotheticals for now.

Back in 2016, Johnny Gaudreau played for team North America at the World Cup of Hockey. Sean Monahan was also selected for that team, but had to pull out due to injury.

That same year, Mikael Backlund was selected for the Swedish team and then-Flame Michael Frolik played for the Czechs.

In a hypothetical 2020 tournament, I think it's likely that we'd see a lot more Calgary representatives.

My bets:

Mark Giordano would easily make the team as the country's top left-handed defenseman. Forever overlooked for these sorts of teams, Giordano would be a key player for the Canadians.

TJ Brodie would have an outside chance of making team Canada if considered as a left-handed defenseman, or of potential GM Sean Burke liked his chemistry with Giordano. But it's unlikely. Canada has dozens of elite RHD and Brodie is at his best on that side. But the country has far fewer LHD. Still, it doesn't seem likely.

Johnny Gaudreau would be a shoo-in for the Americans and would probably play beside Auston Matthews and Patrick Kane on the top line.

Elias Lindholm would be another lock. He'd almost certainly play in Sweden's top-six.

Matthew Tkachuk would be a very safe bet to represent the Americans on the left wing. He could even supplant Gaudreau's top line spot in the right matchup.

David Rittich would fight Petr Mrazek and Pavel Francouz for the Czech starting job in net, and he'd probably win.

Tobias Rieder is one of seven active German skaters in the NHL. He's making team Germany, perhaps even on its top line.

Sean Monahan would be right on the bubble of team Canada. From a country that has historically favoured shifting centres to the wing if necessary, Monahan stands a pretty good shot of being the 13th/14th forward.

Rasmus Andersson would have an outside shot at making team Sweden. Only Erik Karlsson, Anton Stralman, and John Klingberg average more ice time per night among right-handed Swedish defensemen, and Andersson is easily the youngest of the group. If he didn't make the team today, he would in two or three years.

Mikael Backlund is having a brutally snakebitten year, but he's still got the Swedish 4C position on lockdown. He's a very safe bet.

Noah Hanifin would be a long shot for team USA. With enough injuries, he'd be on the bubble. Same with Derek Ryan, who ranks in a tie for 30th among American forwards in even-strength points. But neither player is likely by any stretch of the imagination.

Dube, Lucic, Mangiapane, Hamonic, Stone, Bennett, Jankowski, Kylington, Rinaldo, and Talbot are not likely to make their national teams.

So that puts the possible count as follows:

Canada: 2 (Giordano and Monahan)
USA: 2 (Gaudreau and Tkachuk)
Sweden: 3 (Andersson?, Backlund, and Lindholm)
Germany: 1 (Rieder)
Czech: 1 (Rittich)

Nine players representing the Flames would be quite something. Think it's realistic?