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Team Canada Receives Positive News Ahead of Clash with Finland at 4 Nations Face-Off

Originally posted on Maple Leafs Daily
By Ryan Smitheram | Last updated Feb 17, 2025 9:05 AM ET

Team Canada has received some positive news regarding two of their defencemen ahead of their game on Monday against Team Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Team Canada faced some heavy backlash after they were given an exception to bring an extra defenceman to Montreal ahead of Saturday's game against the U.S. following an injury to Shea Theodore.

Thomas Harley joined the team, but wasn't able to practice with the main group unless he was playing, which he ultimately did Saturday night against Team USA, as Cale Makar was deemed unfit to play.

Makar's status is still up in the air for Monday's game, but Team Canada head coach Jon Cooper noted he was trending in the right direction after practice on Sunday.

Canada was also given some good news regarding Harley, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Friedman reported that even if Makar is healthy enough to play, Harley will be an option for Canada although he wasn't named to the initial roster.

If Makar is deemed healthy enough to play and Canada chooses to dress Harley over Travis Sanheim, the NHL and NHLPA may face backlash, along with Canada, for allowing one of the host nations this special exception.

We likely won't know much until warmups ahead of Canada's must-win game against Finland, but Team Canada does have some options now.

This article first appeared on Maple Leafs Daily and was syndicated with permission.

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