Toronto Maple Leafs: 3 Defenseman Who Could Replace Jake McCabe

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe left the game on Thursday night after he suffered a lower-body injury in the first period.

If you thought the Toronto Maple Leafs defense was bad already, it got much worse now that McCabe is out.

It’s unsure whether or not he’ll play on Saturday night, but I’d suspect the team to be cautious with him. Although his injury put a damper on the team’s blue-line, in reality won’t affect the team that much.

Throughout the first seven games, McCabe’s play has been below average. As mentioned in James Tanner’s article earlier, “on the season, scoring chances are 62-46 for the opposition whenever McCabe plays.  The high-danger scoring chances are 64% in favor of the opposition, and the Leafs have been outscored 7-3 when he is on the ice, while his expected goals rating is 44%.”

So essentially when McCabe is on the ice, the team has a much higher chance to get scored on.

McCabe is averaging the fourth most defensive minutes on the team this year, so it’s not like he’s even on the ice that often, compared to his teammates, so that makes the stats even more incriminating. I’d actually be happier if McCabe was averaging 25 minutes per night and this were his stats because it would mean he’s playing against the opposition’s best players, but instead, he’s only playing 16 minutes each night and is a liability every time he steps on the ice.

So although losing an NHL caliber defenseman is not ideal, his absence could actually make the Leafs better. We’ll see how long he’s out, but here are three defenseman who could fill his shoes if he’s out long-term.

Toronto Maple Leafs: 3 Defenseman Who Could Replace Jake McCabe

No. 1: William Lagesson

Lagesson may be playing for the Toronto Marlies right now, but he’s not really a prospect at this point in his career. With 60 NHL games under his belt, the 27-year-old has been a fringe player for the past few years, but could find another opportunity with the Leafs, as he was recalled yesterday and will likely play tonight.

At 6-foot-2, 196 pounds, Lagesson plays a strong physical game, which is an important asset, as McCabe was one of the most physical defenseman on the roster.

After showing very little offensive output for years, Lagesson blossomed with the Chicago Wolves last year when he scored 10 goals and contributed 32 points, but that may be somewhat of a fluke, as he only has one assist in five games with the Marlies this year.

Throughout his career, he’s typically been more of a stay-at-home defenseman, who defends well and doesn’t move the puck up the ice great.

Based on what Toronto needs, I think Lagesson could be a great fit as the team doesn’t need a defenseman who can produce offensively.

They need to be much better defensively and can’t rely on their goaltender winning games for them every night.

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.