Elliotte Friedman Reports On 4 Nations Rule Change After Cale Makar Injury Controversy
NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that due to Cale Makar's injury -- and Thomas Harley's playing status -- that the NHL might adjust things come 2028.
There's been a lot of controversy in the past few days regarding Team Canada, and specifically Cale Makar. The defenseman has been dealing with an illness which led to Canada calling up Thomas Harley as some emergency insurance.
But with Makar doing what he can to play on Monday, NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that while Makar is still a game-time decision -- he's expected to play. Yet, surprisingly...so is Harley.
While it still depends on what coach Jon Cooper decides, Makar will most likely play and with Harley not prohibited from playing, it feels like Canada has a bit of an unfair advantage.
So with that being said -- what rule changes could the NHL implement to prevent this from happening again?
NHL May Adjust Rules Regarding Injury
It's understandable why the NHL would want to adjust things, as fans from other countries aren't taking too kindly to the favour handed to the Canadians.
But if the NHL wants to prevent this from happening, there's an idea which could help smooth things out and it's a bit surprising why they don't have it.
Just have a reserves roster.
It's a bit odd that there was so much speculation as to who would replace Alex Pietrangelo earlier on before the tournament started, because frankly -- there shouldn't have been.
With who got snubbed from their roster, the NHL should implement a reserve system: Five extra forwards, two defensemen, and a goalie. It doesn't take away a ton from teams (who are on a break anyways) and could give teams relief in case of emergency.
For example, Team Canada's reserve roster could look something like this:
Forwards: (C) John Tavares, (C) Mark Scheifele, (F) Steven Stamkos, (C) Connor Bedard, (RW) Zach Hyman
Defensemen: (D) Chris Tanev, (D) Mackenzie Weegar
Goalies: (G) Logan Thompson
It will be a bit harder for a team like Finland to fill in certain spots, but this is the World Cup of Hockey -- add some SM-Liiga superstars and expand the game a bit more.
This cushion of players would allow teams to not panic regarding potential injuries, and there will need to be rules on that reserve roster too:
1) No swapping in and out for strategy -- purely for injuries only.
2) You have a maximum of two (2) substitutions -- If you get unlucky with three injuries, you have to make a choice.
3) Once a player is substituted for they are no longer eligible to play in the tournament -- you're hurt, so you can't play. You've been substituted for, go rest and get back to the regular season.
4) Substitutions must be made at least three (3) hours before game-time.
While yes, OBVIOUSLY these need tweaking, and I know it's not perfect. But it gives a good idea of what the NHL could do in order to keep everyone happy and provide stability in case of injury.
Given the league has a few years to work on things before the next World Cup of Hockey, expect the NHL to have a much longer and thicker rulebook come 2028.
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