In eschewing the basic premise of international competition, there was always going to be risk.

The NHL prioritized the endorsement of its own product when establishing the format for the World Cup of Hockey, a decision that not only threatened its legitimacy as a best-on-best competition, but one that left the tournament's place as a potential replacement for the Olympics to chance.

Nevertheless, having weighed concerns armchair executives didn't hesitate to communicate, the NHL went ahead with its contrivance. And with it, successfully engineered extraordinary drama, novel theater, and incredible moments from the 23-and-under North American squad that, in three games, illustrated just how thrilling the sport can be and had the hockey world begging for more.

Yet, the tournament that captured attention for its daring, self-serving tactic, is now trending toward an uninspired, potentially unwatched conclusion, largely for two apparent miscalculations.

Or one gross underestimation.

An experiment

Coming together quickly as a formidable squad, Team Europe, the assortment of stars who hail from lesser hockey nations, took advantage of a weak group in order to advance to the knockout stage. And then, because the NHL went with a multi-game final in lieu of a quarterfinal round, or that extra hurdle an underdog would have to clear, the Europeans used one elimination triumph - its bewildering upset over Sweden - to throw an absolute wrench in the NHL's experiment.

Now it's the misfits versus powerhouse Canada in a best-of-three final devoid of historical significance, that has genuine relevance to one nation, and offers but straws to grasp at when attempting to concoct an alluring narrative.

"The great thing about it is I don't have to worry about that. All I have to worry about is finding a way to win," Team Canada coach Mike Babcock told theScore when asked if this matchup has taken a little shine off the tournament.

"What I would tell you is they earned the right to be here. There were lots of good teams in the tournament, and they kept finding a way to get better and better. Everyone doubts them, and they just keep winning,” he added.

"They're organized, they play hard. Everyone is playing for the team. They seem to have really enjoyed one another, and are playing for one another. It looks like a good team to me, and that's who we're playing and we're excited to play them. We have a chance (to play) in the World Cup final, and I don’t know how it gets better than that."

More than hardware

With a chance to extend his incredible international record with Canada, and win one of the few existing championships he's without, it's understandable the opponent, and the matchup it offers fans, doesn't trouble Babcock.

But this coach is aware of impact. Just last week, Babcock readily marvelled at North America, waxing on unprovoked about the amount of good those kids, and that team, were doing for the game. He championed the strategy, calling it an "unbelievable marketing scheme," and believed that with it, the NHL was going to secure hoards of new fans.

Maybe with the finish line in sight, the greater good is no longer his concern. Or maybe whether he wants to acknowledge it or not, he understands along with the rest of us that the NHL's desire to pump its international showcase full of its own talent has indeed come at a consequence.

Legacy

Extensions of their coach, Canada's players were predictably unwilling to let on if they were experiencing some semblance of letdown from clashing with a non-traditional opponent at the World Cup.

Steven Stamkos defended Europe, justifying the team's presence in the final, and construction in the first place.

"These guys earned their right to be in the finals. You can’t blame them for beating Sweden in the semifinals," Stamkos told theScore. "At the beginning of the tournament no one thought they would do that. A lot of people had Canada-U.S. and Russia-Sweden, but that’s why you play the games. The teams that deserve to be in the final will be in the final."

John Tavares, too, admitted he was surprised Europe has made it to this point, but added that, based on its performance and the fight put up versus Canada in the preliminary round (Europe was outshot better than two-to-one), the opponent is a worthy adversary.

"You look at the teams they've beaten to get here, and it's pretty impressive," Tavares said. "We saw first hand playing against them. They didn't make it easy for us. We know this is going to be a challenge.

"We're at the final hurdle, and we want to make sure we approach it the same way, and get the job done."

It's fully expected Canada will, and the World Cup's best-of-three finale will only require two games, ensuring NHL training camps will be attended in full by the weekend.

If so, one of the greatest collections of talent will celebrate the same before disbanding, perhaps without ever being challenged.

But it remains to be seen if the public will share in that enthusiasm.

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theScore is previewing each team leading up to the 2016-17 season.

The offseason indeed brought change for the New York Rangers, who dealt their second-leading goal scorer, Derick Brassard, to the Ottawa Senators in an effort to alleviate cap pressures and enhance other aspects of their lineup.

Still, fans should anticipate another shoe to drop, as this Rangers team - which understands it needs change - will still rely on a similar core, a diminishing back end, and of course that otherworldly goaltender.

Here's how the Rangers stack up heading into 2016-17:

• Zibanejad, who arrived in return for Brassard, and coveted college free agent Vesey, are the major acquisitions, and obviously the players to watch. But also keep an eye on Pirri, who can provide scoring punch on his low-end salary, along with the emergence of 2013 third-rounder Buchnevich.

• New York's major subtraction is two-way defender Keith Yandle, who signed a big-money deal with the Florida Panthers. Skjei should get every opportunity to fill that transition role, but considering the Rangers gave up another draft pick to acquire Holden from the Colorado Avalanche, they likely intend to play him.

• New York believes it has quality insurance for Lundqvist, who's entering his 12th season, signing Raanta to a two-year, $2-million deal this offseason.

ANA | ARI | BOS | BUF | CGY
CAR | CHI | COL | CBS | DAL
DET | EDM | FLA | LA | MIN
MTL | NSH | NJD | NYI | NYR
PHI | PIT | OTT | STL | SJ
TB | TOR | VAN | WSH | WIN

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International hockey offers players the opportunity to compete against the best in the business.

It's also a stressful time for general managers and coaches, who cross their fingers that their top players don't fall to injury while away from the team.

In a short three-week tournament, five key players competing in the World Cup have already been sidelined:

Marian Gaborik

The Los Angeles Kings will be without winger Gaborik for eight weeks, as the veteran suffered a foot injury while competing with Team Europe. One of the team's top players, Gaborik had a pair of goals in the tournament.

Aaron Ekblad

Florida Panthers star defenseman Ekblad was pulled from the tournament after a nasty hit left him with a concussion. Ekblad, who suffered the injury in round robin action, has since returned to Sunrise and has already began skating, according to Panthers coach Gerard Gallant.

Tyler Seguin

It wasn't a long tournament for Dallas Stars center Seguin, who was injured during exhibition play. After sliding feet-first into the end boards, Seguin was diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his heel. He returned to Dallas where the Stars continue to monitor his recovery.

Matt Murray

First thought to be a thumb injury, Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Murray in fact suffered a broken hand that will keep him out of the lineup for three-to-six weeks. Murray appeared in two games with Team North America, where he posted a lowly .886 save percentage.

Ales Hemsky

As if one injury wasn't already enough, the Stars will also be without forward Hemsky, who's been sidelined seven-to-10 days with a groin injury. The 33-year-old appeared in three games with Czech Republic, grabbing a pair of assists.

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The Detroit Red Wings will honor "Mr. Hockey" this season with a commemorative patch on their jerseys showcasing Gordie Howe's iconic No. 9, the team announced Tuesday.

Howe, the Red Wings' all-time leader in games played, goals, and points passed away at age 88 in June.

"Our team wanted to honor 'Mr. Hockey,' due to his incredible impact on the game of hockey, the Red Wings organization, and the city of Detroit," Tom Wilson, president and CEO of Olympia Entertainment said. "Wearing the '9' jersey patch will be one of many ways our team will celebrate and look back on the life and career of Gordie during the upcoming season."

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The Calgary Flames aren't wasting time in locking up goalie Brian Elliott.

Acquired from the St. Louis Blues in June, the Flames have already begun negotiations with Elliott over a contract extension, reports Andy Strickland of Fox Sports Midwest.

The 31-year-old is a pending unrestricted free agent, with a current salary cap hit of $2.5 million. He will make his debut with the Flames next month.

Elliott appeared in 41 games with the Blues last season, posting a 23-8-2 record, alongside a .930 save percentage and 2.07 goals-against average.

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The Vladimir Sobotka saga has come to a close.

Sobotka, 29, had flirted with the possibility of returning to the St. Louis Blues after spending the past two seasons in the KHL. Now, he's decided he's staying in Russia, the KHL club stated Tuesday.

The veteran center scored 34 points in 44 games with the Omsk Avangard last season.

Sobotka last played with the Blues in 2013-14, recording 33 points in 61 games. Following that year, as a restricted free agent, Sobotka opted to sign with Avangard.

An arbitrator has since decided that the Blues will retain Sobotka's rights for one season, should he make an NHL return, after which he can become an unrestricted free agent.

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Sam Gagner is at it again.

The slick-handed 27-year-old, who signed a one-year deal with Columbus in the offseason, discarded Bruins' netminder Zane McIntyre for an incredible shootout winner Monday night.

The back-handed toe drag is a move at the forefront of Gagner's arsenal, a move he patented as a member of the Edmonton Oilers.

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The past is the past for Brandon Dubinsky.

The Columbus Blue Jackets center, who was part of Team USA at the World Cup alongside Jackets coach John Tortorella, dismissed the possibility of a rift between the two.

Facing elimination against Team Canada, Tortorella chose to scratch Dubinsky, plus Columbus teammate Jack Johnson. The Americans ultimately fell to Canada, 4-2.

"You have to separate the two," Dubinsky told Tom Reed of The Columbus Dispatch. "Like I said there are no easy decisions, especially for a staff like that when you have a group of players like we had."

Tortorella dressed New Jersey Devils forward Kyle Palmieri in place of Dubinsky.

"He’s my coach here. He’s given me, and not just here, a lot of opportunities," Dubinsky added. "I'm proud of my career that I’ve had and a lot of it has to do with how he treated me and helped me and coached me and taught me."

It's an interesting dynamic between Tortorella and Dubinsky, who also spent four years together with the New York Rangers, where Dubinsky enjoyed a career-best year, scoring 54 points in 2010-11.

Through two World Cup games, Dubinsky recorded an assist and four penalty minutes.

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The World Cup curtain is set to close.

Though many shrugged off the tournament prior to the first puck drop, over the last two weeks, fans have been been treated to some of the best hockey around - and in September, no less.

Now it all comes down to Canada and Europe. Here are five things we've learned about the World Cup finalists in the tournament so far.

Europe's over its early exhibition blunders

After two exhibition games that saw Team Europe dismantled by North America 4-0 and 7-4, it seemed that only one of the hybrid teams was going to make it out of round-robin play, and it wasn't Europe.

However, after a surprising final tuneup contest that saw the team beat Sweden 6-2, Europe was well on its way.

The team shocked the United States and got by the Czech Republic and Sweden, its only loss along the way coming against Canada. It's safe to say now that those early defeats are a thing of the past.

Canada never down for long

Blink and you might have missed the two occasions in which Canada actually trailed in this tournament.

The Americans held the lead against their northern rivals, but that was extinguished just 1:29 later. Then, in Saturday's tilt against the Russians, after Canada opened the scoring, Russia responded with two straight goals.

Once again, the Canadians didn't panic, and they'd knot the game up just 1:12 later. No lead is safe over Canada, and the team certainly won't roll over and die.

Crosby could do great things as a Bruin

Who says finding linemates for Sidney Crosby is hard?

Some blamed that conundrum for Crosby's poor offensive outing at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, where the captain managed just three points in six games.

Mike Babcock appears to have found a solution: pairing Crosby with a couple Boston Bruins in Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron.

The three have comprised the team's top line, and through four games, Crosby is excelling, leading the tournament with seven points. Marchand sits second with five and Bergeron isn't far behind with four.

The trio's been lethal and valuable in all situations. It's a good thing for NHL clubs that the line will cease to exist once the week wraps up.

Halak is a busy man

Not only has Jaroslav Halak been Europe's go-to between the pipes, he's arguably been the goaltender of the tournament.

Through four games, the New York Islanders netminder has amassed a .947 save percentage and a stunning 1.96 goals-against average, both just slightly worse than Carey Price's numbers.

However, take out Halak's 4-1 game against Canada in the round robin and he's leaps and bounds better than any other goaltender in the tournament, with those numbers improving to 9.62 and 1.3, respectively.

Canada is as good as expected

Canada entered the tournament as the favorite and will enter the final as such.

Nothing has changed the perception of the hockey-loving nation. As the World Cup has trucked along the club's superiority has gone fairly uncontested, much as it did in Sochi.

Canada's outshot the opposition by an average of 44 to 29.25 through four games and outscored them 19-6.

The Canadians are a machine that keeps on rolling. The real question is whether it takes two games or three for them to capture the World Cup.

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theScore is previewing each team leading up to the 2016-17 season.

Their resources exhausted after spending the last decade chasing a title, the New York Rangers took a different approach this summer, making decisions with a focus on replenishing what was lost.

In the end, general manager Jeff Gorton may wish he accomplished more, but the Rangers were able to get a little younger, a little cheaper, perhaps a little deeper, and look as if they can maintain a certain standard of competitiveness - at least on paper.

Here are three things to consider as the Rangers prepare to make a run at a seventh consecutive postseason appearance:

Did they move the right man?

In order for things to change, New York had to make a decision with its core.

There were conversations about Rick Nash and Derek Stepan, but in the end it was Derick Brassard on the move, dealt to the Ottawa Senators in a trade that brought back a talented scoring center still chasing his two-way potential in Mika Zibanejad.

At about half the price with several seasons of control, Zibanejad, also five years younger, was a strategic and ideal find. But Brassard, New York's second-leading scorer last year, is a player whose production is also travelling on an upswing, and maybe more importantly, actually provided value on his very reasonable $5-million salary.

To alleviate cap pressures, it was incumbent on the Rangers to move a high-priced veteran. You wonder, though, why they chose to move a player who didn't really contribute to that problem.

Have they helped Lundqvist?

He wasn't Alain Vigneault's most valued asset on the back end, but one of the more coveted members of that unit in league circles - and the player that most effectively lightened the load on Henrik Lundqvist - won't be pushing the puck up the ice for New York next season.

Keith Yandle departed in free agency this summer, leaving New York without a proven puck-moving defender whose strength is facilitating transition offense.

Because of this, Brady Skjei becomes an enormously important player, but the Rangers are still willingly running the risk of further exposing their world-class goaltender by devoting major minutes to defenders like Dan Girardi and Marc Staal.

What else is new?

Their finances inhibited them from spending freely, so the Rangers weren't overly involved in the open market. They did however land their most coveted prize: Harvard graduate and Hobey Baker winner Jimmy Vesey.

The former third-round draft pick of the Nashville Predators could be a coup. Vesey arrives prepared to contribute immediately in a middle-six capacity, but also on an entry-level salary at age 23.

New York also added Brandon Pirri, a 20-goal scorer on a bargain-bin salary; Michael Grabner, a capable penalty killer and bottom-six contributor able to create chances with speed; and Nathan Gerbe and Josh Jooris, who together provide depth at a combined $1.2 million.

Look for Pavel Buchnevich, a third rounder in 2013, to bust into the lineup as well.

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