Injury-Related Absence Of Defenseman McCabe Shows How Valuable He Is To Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs played well in the absence of superstar center Auston Matthews, going 7-2-0 in the recent stretch when Matthews was injured. However, the absence of another Leafs veteran – defenseman Jake McCabe – hasn’t gone nearly as well. McCabe has been out of action for the past four games with an upper-body injury following a puck to his head against the Lightning on Nov. 30, and the Leafs have lost two of the four, being outscored 8-3 in those back-to-back defeats.

That goals-against total is far worse than Toronto’s 2.63 goals-against average per game this season – and while it all can’t be chalked up to the injury of McCabe, his injury’s trickle-down effect on Toronto’s defense is undeniable.

Leafs coach Craig Berube tried to mitigate the impact McCabe’s absence was going to have on his team’s back end – putting McCabe’s regular ‘D’ partner, Chris Tanev, alongside veteran Oliver Ekman-Larsson – but Toronto’s other defensive pairings (including Morgan Rielly on a pair with Philippe Myers, and Connor Timmins with Simon Benoit) left much to be desired.

Meanwhile, McCabe’s absence also affected Toronto’s power play Saturday night against Pittsburgh. McCabe and Tanev led Leafs penalty-killers with an average of 3:01 of penalty-kill time. But without McCabe Saturday, Toronto gave up two power-play goals. Without those two goals, the Leafs would’ve been leading the game against the Penguins, and it would’ve been the Pens who pulled their goalie late in the game rather than the other way around.

It’s clear McCabe and Tanev are Toronto's defensive conscience, and the Leafs need both on the ice to put the clamp down on the opposition's best players. The good news is that the Buds likely won’t be without McCabe for much longer, as the injury he suffered isn’t believed to be a long-term problem for him. But, McCabe’s new contract extension – at an average of $4.51 million per season for the next five years – seems like more of a bargain with every passing day. McCabe does much of the dirty work in Toronto’s zone, and while he doesn’t appear on many highlight reels, this stretch without McCabe is showing Leafs management he’s a difference-maker on ‘D’.

Certainly, playing alongside Tanev has made McCabe’s life much easier. But the same goes for the impact McCabe has had on Tanev. They’re a no-fuss, no-mush pairing, and they feed into each other’s best instincts night in and night out. Their impact on Toronto’s back end is undeniable, and if the Leafs are going to continue to be at or near the top of the Atlantic Division, they’re going to need both Tanev and McCabe healthy and thriving in their own zone.

McCabe is unlikely to ever wind up as a star of the week, but he doesn’t have to be spectacular to justify the time and money the Leafs have invested in him. So long as he gets pucks out of his zone quickly and moves pucks up the ice in short order, Berube is going to be happy with his performance.

If McCabe does return to action for Toronto’s next game – Tuesday on the road against New Jersey – the Leafs are going to breathe a huge sigh of relief. These last two games have demonstrated to Toronto how valuable McCabe is to the team, and if the Leafs return to their peak form when McCabe does return to the lineup, it will underscore how crucial McCabe is to any Stanley Cup playoff aspirations the Buds have this season and beyond.

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