Canada Facing Wild Accusations After Mid-Tournament Roster Expansion at 4 Nations Face-Off

In their opening game of the 4 Nations Face-Off, Team Canada was forced to play with five defencemen for most of the game after Shea Theodore was injured early on.

Theodore suffered a broken wrist after being hit along the boards midway through the first period and will miss the remainder of the tournament.

Canada still had the minimum amount of skaters available as Travis Sanheim was scratched on Wednesday and will take Theodore's place. However, at practice on Friday, Cale Makar was sick and didn't skate with his status listed as a game-time decision. Canada approached the NHL and NHLPA about having another defenceman join the team.

Canada was ultimately granted an exception to have Thomas Harley of the Dallas Stars join the team, but not practice or participate in game day skates unless he was playing.

Across social media, fans of other teams were outraged, saying that Canada was being given preferential treatment as one of the tournament hosts.

According to Daily Faceoff, that was not the case as the NHL and NHLPA agreed that Canada was facing extenuating circumstances as well as potential travel issues and agreed that Canada should not have to play a game with five defencemen.

As Canada prepares to take on Team USA in what will be one hell of a game on Saturday evening, Makar's status will become clearer following the morning skate, which will also determine if Harley will get into the lineup or not.

The question remains, though: if Harley plays on Saturday, and Makar is healthy enough to play the next game, is Canada then in violation of the rules? Some feel that's the case, but it's up to the governing body to decide.