Team Canada appears set to bring in Sam Bennett for their game against Team USA on Saturday.
Bennett, a healthy scratch for Wednesday's 4-3 overtime win over Sweden, was wearing bottom-six white in practice Friday, while Travis Konecny was wearing a black jersey and skated as a placeholder for Cale Makar on defence, indicating he could be exiting the lineup.
The 28-year-old Bennett has 18 goals and 35 points in 55 games with the Florida Panthers this season. Konecny, 27, has 22 goals and 61 points in 57 games with the Philadelphia Flyers. He was minus-2 in 10:20 of ice time against Sweden.
Canada appears to be sticking with a top six of Connor McDavid between Mitch Marner and Sam Reinhart, and Sidney Crosby with Nathan MacKinnon and Mark Stone.
Bennett skated between Seth Jarvis and Brad Marchand, while head coach Jon Cooper made a Tampa Bay Lightning line of Brandon Hagel, Anthony Cirelli and Brayden Point.
Team Canada 🇨🇦 lines at practice:
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 14, 2025
Reinhart-McDavid-Marner
Crosby-MacKinnon-Stone
Hagel-Cirelli-Point
Marchand-Bennett-Jarvis
Toews-*Konecny
Morrissey-Parayko
Sanheim-Doughty
Binnington
Hill
Absent: Makar
Extra: Montembeault
Harley joins Team Canada
Team Canada has been granted permission to add Thomas Harley to their 4 Nations roster in case Cale Makar cannot play Saturday against Team USA.
With Makar absent from Friday's practice due to illness, Canada was left with just five defencemen on the ice.
Harley was initially set to join Team Canada in Boston following Saturday's game, but will instead now head to Montreal. Canada put the Dallas Stars defenceman on notice Thursday that he would be the next man up if there's another injury on the team's blueline.
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly says the league and NHLPA spoke today and agreed given circumstances that Thomas Harley can come in and join Team Canada in case Cale Makar (illness) can’t play Saturday night. @TSNHockey @TheAthletic
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) February 14, 2025
Canada was quickly down to six defencemen on their roster after losing Vegas Golden Knights blueliner Shea Theodore to an upper-body injury in their opening game Wednesday night.
The 23-year-old Harley has nine goals and 29 points in 53 games this season with the Stars. Selected 18th overall in the 2019 draft, Harley is in his second full season with the Stars. He inked a two-year, $8 million contract after a breakout season with 15 goals and 47 points in 79 games last year. Like Theodore, Harley is a right-handed shot.
After serving as a healthy scratch against Sweden, Travis Sanheim will move into the lineup for Team Canada's clash with the United States. He skated with Drew Doughty in Friday's session.
Canada and Team USA will both be looking to take a significant step toward qualifying for the championship game on Saturday after winning their openers.
