Is Cale Makar playing against Team USA? Canada coach Jon Cooper gives positive update on star D-man's availability

Team Canada's No. 1 defenseman, Cale Makar, missed Friday's practice due to illness. His absence sparked concern about his availability for Saturday's massive game against Team USA.

Head coach Jon Cooper spoke to the media after practice and was asked if he expects the Avalanche superstar to play on Saturday night.

TSN hockey insider Chris Johnston shared his response on X (formerly Twitter).

"Expect is a big word, but I'm confident. I'm confident he'll be there," Cooper said.

All of Canada is holding its breath, hoping that Cale Makar will be good to go for the rivalry game. His presence is irreplaceable for Team Canada as he played a whopping 28:06 minutes in Wednesday's tournament opener.

The 26-year-old is widely regarded as the best defenseman in hockey, having racked up 63 points (22 goals, 41 assists) in 57 games this season.

The Canadian blueline has already gotten thin with Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore having suffered an upper-body injury that will sideline him from the remainder of the tournament.

The injury occurred during the second period on Wednesday night's 4-3 overtime win over Sweden. Travis Sanheim of the Philadelphia Flyers will draw into the lineup in Theodore's absence.

If Cale Makar is unavailable, Thomas Harley will play for Team Canada

Should Canada's nightmare scenario of Cale Makar being unavailable come to fruition, it will turn to Dallas Stars defenseman Thomas Harley.

On Thursday, it was announced that Harley would travel to Boston in case anything happened and he needed to play. Now with Makar's illness, the NHL and NHLPA spoke and agreed to allow Harley to join the team in Montreal.

The 23-year-old has registered 29 points (nine goals, 20 assists) through 53 games played this season. He enjoyed a breakout 2023-24 campaign where he produced 47 points (15 goals, 32 assists) in 79 games. He's a nice replacement option for Canada, but nothing compares to Cale Makar.

Team Canada will finally match up with Team USA on Saturday night to reignite the best rivalry in hockey. The Americans enter as the tournament leaders with three points (1-0-0-0), while the Canadians are in second with two points (0-1-0-0). The puck drops at 8 p.m. EST at Bell Centre in Montreal.