No. 2: Simon Benoit
Benoit was one of the Toronto Maple Leafs last defensive cuts and seemed like a player who could crack the roster, but was unfortunately summoned to the Toronto Marlies instead.
The big reason why many fans were excited to see him sign with the Leafs was because of his physicality.
He led the Anaheim Ducks with 214 total hits last season and is a big strong defender who’s not afraid to fight.
He fit Brad Treliving’s mold perfectly, as that was something the newly appointed GM wanted to focus on. The 24-year-old is 6-foot-4, 205 pounds and could be a great fit in replace of McCabe, who as we’ve continued to mention, is also a physical defenseman.
If the Leafs want to play big and strong, there’s nobody better to turn to than Benoit. With 137 NHL games, it’s not like Benoit will be scared of the call-up either and I think fans and teammates will love this player if he’s inserted into the line-up.
He’s a tough defender to play against and has shown some promise at the NHL level before and also makes league-minimum, so that could be a huge benefit in replace of McCabe, who they should really just trade at this point.
That’s just how bad McCabe has been playing and I think anyone else could replace him.