The 4 Nations Face-Off is generating a lot of numbers, owing to the heated hockey action on the ice-cold rink. Two games have concluded so far in the tournament: Canada vs Sweden and USA vs Finland. However, owing to the latest update, Team Canada’s recent update might cause trouble for other nations participating in this event, too. Wondering how so?

Taking to X, TSN’s Ryan Rishaug expressed his concerns about a Canadian star player in the 4 Nations Face-Off, stating, “Not a great scenario for Canada. Makar sick, forward playing D at practice and no ability to bring Harley in to where the game is being played tomorrow. All feels a little odd. What if Makar is a game-time decision?”

Cale Makar is the alternate captain of the team, and yes, he adds a lot of value to the team’s defense. However, the update surrounding his health isn’t looking promising for Canada. The defenseman missed out on the practice session on Friday, and this was important. Why so? Well, as per the 4 Nations Face-Off schedule, Team Canada will be facing Team USA at the Montreal Bell Centre, and with the rivalry brewing between the two neighbors, the home fans will want a team that has all of their main players on the roster.

However, this particular health matter surrounding Makar has spread like wildfire, as NHL analyst David Pagnotta reported on X, stating, “Seems like Cale Makar isn’t the only player at 4 Nations dealing with an illness. Sounds like something may be going around, and some players on all countries are taking precautions – they don’t want to risk missing any action.”

Now, this doesn’t sound good. Hockey is a tough sport, and having ill players on the roster is never a great outlook for any team. If a certain illness is spreading around the rink, this might be a problem for the whole tournament and even the fans, with the utmost consideration for health and safety standards.

The 4 Nations Face-Off replaced the annual All-Star games, and while there were a lot of initial reluctance, fans seemed to enjoy the first match between Team Canada and Team Sweden. However, the expectations crossed benchmarks after the second match between Team USA and Finland. The logic is quite simple: these nations have hockey stars from the NHL, the AHL, and many more prominent leagues, and this is the interest factor.

So if there’s any kind of disease that is spreading around the rink, it’s definitely ringing alarm bells, as these players can’t afford health-related problems going back to the regular season for their franchises. Apart from the other countries, losing Makar from the main roster might be detrimental for Canada, as they have already had one of their star defensemen pull out of the tournament prior.

The 4 Nations Face-Off to be tough for Canada

Team Canada was off to a great start with the first goal of the tournament coming in at the first period’s 00:56, owing to Nathan MacKinnon‘s goal. However, tragedy struck the squad right after Brad Marchand’s goal when Sweden’s Adrian Kempe hit Shea Theodore. The defenseman’s body struck the side wall, and it didn’t look well to the cameras.

Needless to say, there was damage, as Theodore suffered a wrist injury to his right. Immediately, he exited the rink, and as per confirmed medical reports, the defenseman was out of the 4 Nations Face-Off for the rest of the games. The Canadian head coach, Jon Cooper had to say this on the incident, “It’s heartbreaking for the kid. And he was the first one there at the door high-fiving everybody when we came off.”

The Canadian side has lost a huge talent for the rest of the tournament, and with the concerning news surrounding Cale Makar, it’s clearly not looking too good for the red sweaters.