Cale Makar Breaks Silence and Speaks on Possible Return Ahead of Must Win Game Against Finland
Team Canada defenseman Cale Makar is apparently willing to go the extra mile to get back in the lineup for tomorrow night's game.
Cale Makar is arguably the best defenseman in the world, potentially even of all time.
This season he has 22 goals and 63 points in 57 games for the Avalanche, putting him third on the team in scoring behind Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas.
In his career he has 108 goals and 399 points in just 372 regular-season appearances.
Yesterday, Team Canada was without Makar as he is dealing with an illness, which forced them to rely on emergency backup defenseman Thomas Harley, who did play well in the game.
While Harley is a very good young defenseman in his own right, there simply is no replacing Cale Makar.
Luckily for Canadian fans, it seems likely that the Avs blueliner will be back in the lineup for Team Canada tomorrow as they take on Finland in Boston.
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported that he is going to do whatever it takes to make sure that he is on the ice for that crucial game.
This morning, Makar was practicing with the team in a regular red sweater, a good indicator that he will be ready to go by tomorrow afternoon.
Unfortunately, it is an early game, with a 1PM EST puck drop, so that will give Makar and the team less time to prepare and rest up.
That being said, this is a potential elimination game for Canada, so one can imagine that Makar will likely play through any lingering illness he may still be dealing with.
If they can get through Team Finland, Canada will play the USA again for the tournament trophy in Boston on Thursday.
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 16 | 328 ANSWERS Cale Makar Breaks Silence and Speaks on Possible Return Ahead of Must Win Game Against Finland Who do you think will win the final round-robin game between Team Canada and Team Finland? | ||
| Canada | 279 | 85.1 % |
| Finland | 49 | 14.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
![Feb 17, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada forward Connor McDavid (97) skates with the puck during the second period in a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game against Team Finland at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/530316.webp "Feb 17, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada forward Connor McDavid (97) skates with the puck during the second period in a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game against Team Finland at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn")
![Feb 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team United States forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) and Team Canada forward brandon Hagel (38) fight in the first period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/530162.webp "Feb 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team United States forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) and Team Canada forward brandon Hagel (38) fight in the first period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images")
