"Bending rules for Canada," "Found a loophole": Hockey fans react to Cale Makar replacement update for 4 Nations game amid Avs star's illness

Team Canada superstar Cale Makar was surprisingly absent during Friday's practice due to illness. Head coach Jon Cooper spoke after practice and said he's confident that the Avalanche defenseman will be able to play on Saturday night.

However, reports came out that Dallas Stars defenseman Thomas Harley was allowed to join Team Canada due to Makar's potential absence. Harley was originally scheduled to travel to Boston to be near the team should any injuries come up.

On Friday, the NHL and NHLPA agreed that he could now join the team in Montreal. Fans have started to react to the news shared by Pierre LeBrun on X.

"Bending the rules for Canada. Typical," one fan wrote.

"Lmfao they found a loophole," wrote another fan.

"That's some wild home cooking," another fan added.

More fan reactions have come in, criticizing Canada and the league for allowing Harley to join the team.

"Typical Canada," one fan wrote on X.

"Changing the rules for Canada. Checks out and makes sense," another fan wrote.

"You would think the clowns in charge would figure out the rules before they start. But no just make them up as you go along," added one more fan.

Harley has produced 29 points (nine goals, 20 assists) in 53 games played this season in Dallas. The 23-year-old was a first-round pick (18th overall) back in the 2019 NHL draft.

Cale Makar would be a massive loss for Team Canada

It goes without saying that Team Canada cannot afford to be without Cale Makar. Their No. 1 defenseman played 28:06 in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime win over Team Sweden.

The 26-year-old is relied upon in all situations, playing on the top pairing and top power-play unit. He was utilized even more after Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore exited with an upper-body injury that we now know has ended his tournament.

Flyers blueliner Travis Sanheim will enter the lineup on Saturday night, and we know that if Cale Makar can't go, Thomas Harley of the Dallas Stars will also join the team. We're only one game in and Team Canada is already facing plenty of adversity.

The best rivalry in hockey, between Canada and the United States, goes down on Saturday night. The puck drops at 8 p.m. EST at the Bell Centre in Montreal.