A fourth place finish in the 2010 Vancouver Games might be an optimistic goal for Slovakia. A combination of youth and experience will headline the 2014 entry into the Sochi tournament.

A metal plate holding the collarbone of Columbus star sniper Marian Gaborik could be the potential MVP of the club as the games kick off less than three weeks from today. The broken collarbone that has sidelined the brittle winger has responded well to treatment, but Gaborik himself admits that his chances for Sochi are purely optimistic.

With a considerable dent in the Slovakian offense, they will turn to the defense, which was a key to their respectable finish in the games four years ago. Slovakia certainly cannot be considered a favorite given the all-star rosters that will be competing in Sochi. They do have enough talent to skate and compete with anyone. Here’s how they’ll line up.

Goaltending-Jaroslav Halak headlines the goaltending for Slovakia which lacks significant depth. Montreal backup Peter Budaj will serve the same role along with Jan Laco, a 32-year old KHL veteran that has never played in the NHL. Halak is streaky at his best, capable of stealing a game or two. If Slovakia makes a run, it will be because of Halak.

Defense-The big (literally) anchor on defense is Boston’s Zdeno Chara. The massive rear guard will be joined on the blue line by Martin Marincin (Edmonton), Andrej Meszaros (Philadelphia), Andrej Sekera (Carolina) and recently healthy Lubomir Visnovsky (New York Islanders). The Slovaks also have three more defensemen who play in the KHL. The talent pool is top heavy, dropping off significantly after Chara, Sekera and Meszaros. The top two pairs will see a ton of ice time.

Forwards-The forward line boasts seven NHL players including Marian Gaborik who may not play because of (shocker) another injury. That leaves the burden of offense on the shoulders of Marian Hossa, the top (healthy) offensive threat. There is no shortage of youthful exuberance on the roster with a group of talented young prospects that have yet to make a name for themselves. Detroit Red Wings send over a couple of Tomas’, Jurco and Tatar with a third, Tomas Kopecky hailing from the Florida Panthers. Veterans Marcel Hossa and Michal Handzus round out the real depth for Slovakia on the forward line.

Predicted Finish: With the quality of some of the other countries, I can’t see Slovakia placing in the medals. If Halak gets white-hot, and he’ll need to be for a prayer at even bronze, then look for Slovakia to stun some teams. I just don’t think they have enough depth on offense or defense to get past some of the elite teams. Conversely, if Halak goes down or plays poorly, it would require a superhuman effort from Budaj or Laco.  Offensively, Gaborik will be missed, If Slovakia gets production from the up and comers on the roster, they could be a surprise. Best case finish for Slovakia: Fifth