Will they or won’t they?

22 players eligible for IIHF World Junior Championship start season on NHL rosters

The 2014-15 National Hockey League season officially got underway Oct. 8, and it did so with 22 players who still have IIHF World Junior Championship eligibility on the league’s 30 rosters.

The list included 14 players on 23-man rosters, and another eight on the injured list.

It also included four players – reigning Calder Trophy winner Nathan MacKinnon, Aleksander Barkov, Sean Monahan and Valeri Nichushkin – with a full season of NHL service under their belts, meaning it’s highly unlikely they’ll be on the ice in Toronto and Montreal this December.

In addition, since the start of the season, three players have been returned to their respective club teams – Kasperi Kapanen (KalPa Kuopio, FIN), Michael McCarron (London, OHL) and Darnell Nurse (Sault Ste. Marie, OHL) – and one, Sam Bennett, had shoulder surgery, ruling him out for four to six months, leaving 14 players in World Juniors limbo.

The 22 IIHF World Junior Championship-eligible players who started the season with NHL teams include:

CANADA Nick Bapitiste – Buffalo Sabres (injured list) Sam Bennett – Calgary Flames (injured list) Jonathan Drouin – Tampa Bay Lightning (injured list) Anthony Duclair – New York Rangers Aaron Ekblad – Florida Panthers Jérémy Grégoire – Montreal Canadiens (injured list) Bo Horvat – Vancouver Canucks (injured list) Curtis Lazar – Ottawa Senators Nathan MacKinnon – Colorado Avalanche Sean Monahan – Calgary Flames Darnell Nurse – Edmonton Oilers Sam Reinhart – Buffalo Sabres Shea Theodore – Anaheim Ducks (injured list)

FINLAND Aleksander Barkov – Florida Panthers Kasperi Kapanen – Pittsburgh Penguins

GERMANY Leon Draisaitl – Edmonton Oilers

RUSSIA Nikita Zadorov – Buffalo Sabres Valeri Nichushkin – Dallas Stars

SWEDEN André Burakovsky – Washington Capitals

SWITZERLAND Mirco Mueller – San Jose Sharks

UNITED STATES Michael McCarron – Montreal Canadiens Sonny Milano – Columbus Blue Jackets