On Saturday evening, Canada will be taking on the United States in its second 4 Nations Face-Off matchup — but it could be without its top defenseman.
The status of Cale Makar, who spent a team-high 28:06 on the ice in Canada’s tournament-opener against Sweden on Wednesday, is in question for its game against the United States.
Canada’s defense has already taken a hit with the loss of Shea Theodore, who suffered an upper-body injury in the squad’s 4-3 win over Sweden. Now, Makar’s availability is also up in the air.
Will Makar play in Canada vs. USA on Saturday? Here’s the latest on the defenseman’s status.
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Is Cale Makar playing tonight vs. USA?
Makar is considered a game-time decision for Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off game against the United States on Saturday, which will begin at 8 p.m. ET.
As Makar deals with an illness, Canada head coach Jon Cooper said Saturday afternoon that the defenseman’s availability would be decided ahead of puck drop.
“I’m not going to confirm [Makar is in],” Cooper said, according to ESPN. “He’ll be a game-time decision. But trust me, this won’t be a decision where we ever put him in harm’s way. So if he’s in the lineup, he’s good to go.”
Canada, which is off to a 1-0 start in the tournament after its win over Sweden, needed an increased role from Makar when Theodore exited Wednesday’s matchup. Makar had three blocked shots in the win.
With Theodore out and Makar’s status in question, the NHL and NHLPA agreed Friday that Canada could have Stars defenseman Thomas Harley on standby to fill Makar’s spot if he can’t play Saturday.
Cale Makar health update
Makar did not skate in Friday’s practice due to his illness, but he was back on the ice Saturday morning.
Harley, Makar’s potential replacement on the ice for the matchup against the United States, would have only been allowed to skate with the team if Makar did not practice. Instead, he watched Saturday’s practice session from a hallway, per ESPN.
Thomas Harley an interested observer at 🇨🇦 skate
Not allowed to take part because Cale Makar is out there pic.twitter.com/q051NmFJUB
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) February 15, 2025
“I’m feeling a little bit better; we’ll see how it goes this afternoon and stuff,” Makar said Saturday, according to NHL.com. “For me, at the end of the day I’ve got to make sure I do what’s right for myself. I don’t want to be putting these guys in a tough spot, so it was great that we were able to bring Harley in, at least have that option if we need it. But again, I’m feeling better today and we’ll see how the afternoon progresses.”
While Canada is off to a 1-0 start in the 4 Nations Face-Off, its group of defensemen has been beat up in the opening stages of the tournament. Makar’s status will be worth monitoring ahead of puck drop in Montreal.
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