He said Hossa is likely to practice Saturday and play Sunday.
Krueger also hinted strongly he and assistants Paul Maurice and Brad Shaw are considering changing the lineup after being shut out in the opener.
"You can watch those players play on other teams on video all year like I did, and when they're in your hands playing within the structure you want, you really get to know them for the first time," Krueger said. "It's an interesting thing about coaching; watch, watch, watch, and when you have them on the ice and you didn't know this or that about the player.
"So I believe we're going to have a better lineup. That's up to us as coaches [to] know to put the pieces together better. I don't think they're put together ideally now. You'll see that on Sunday."
PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE: If Team Europe is lightly regarded at the World Cup, it can't have anything to do with experience.
The 23 players, who represent eight countries, have played a combined 1,225 Stanley Cup Playoff games. Hossa leads that list with 201 games, and Zdeno Chara is next with 141. Marian Gaborik, Anze Kopitar, Christian Ehrhoff, Dennis Seidenberg, Jannik Hansen and Thomas Vanek each has more than 60.
The only members who have not been in an NHL playoff game are Tobias Rieder and Leon Draisaitl.
STILL CONFIDENT:One pretournament loss didn't leave any air of defeat among the players available Friday, nor with Krueger.
"There's good experience in our locker room, good leadership," Mats Zuccarello said. "We're going to be better."
Krueger reminded reporters that the players from the eight countries that make up Team Europe -- and their fans -- are looking for better play.
"They have their country flags on their arms on their sweaters on Sunday here in the Bell Centre and they are going to compete for that country," Krueger said. "So their country and Team Europe was not pleased with the final result (Thursday), 100 percent.
"Our pride isn't damaged that badly that we can't walk with our heads up today with Team Europe clothing on in Montreal; that's OK. It's how we react to it now that will matter."
ROAD AHEAD:Team Europe has one more pretournament game, Wednesday in Washington against Team Sweden.
Team Europe opens World Cup play Sept. 17 against Team USA in Toronto.
