My first thought when the news broke about the IOC banning Russia from sending a team to the Olympics.... could we end up seeing basically a new version (just for a very different reason) of the CIS team that won Olympic gold after the Soviet Union dissolved? Think about it:
1) Putin still wants Russian athletes competing, especially in hockey, so he won't block them and may even encourage it.
2) While the Russian national U18 team was banned for doping in 2016, the pro guys have more NHL-like training regimens than the kids. There probably could still be a strong team put together of veteran players who would not be flagged for IOC banned performance enhancers.
3) An "independent" team could still be a medal threat in hockey.
Back later with several rumor updates.