Team Canada gets a huge boost at Four Nations Face-Off.

There have already been some accusations of favoritism at the Four Nations Face-Off and this latest development certainly won't do anything to assuage the concerns of those who have felt that is indeed the case.

It now seems as though Team Canada has been given a huge boost to their lineup, with a new report from National Hockey League insider Elliotte Friedman indicating that Canada has effectively been granted the use of an additional player. According to Friedman, Team Canada is now free to use defenseman Thomas Harley as they see fit, with Harley having previously been designated as an emergency replacement only in the event that defenseman Cale Makar was unable to play.

In fact Harley wasn't able to so much as participate in a practice with his fellow Canadians if Malkar was out on the ice, but it would seem that those restrictions have now been loosened by the NHL. It is unclear why the change has been made, but the addition of Harley to the Canadian lineup is no small rule change.

Harley played very well for Canada in their loss to the United States of America on Saturday night and, should Makar be healthy enough to return to play, that will give Canada a very good option on the blue line that they did not have when the rosters were officially locked in on Monday.

Do you think the NHL is giving Canada special treatment in this tournament? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.