The Toronto Maple Leafs are in a tough spot thanks to a needless injury suffered by Jake McCabe. The injury I’m referring to occurred last Sunday night during the Toronto Maple Leafs-Philadelphia Flyers tilt.
The Toronto Maple Leafs won the game on a thrilling overtime goal from Morgan Rielly. But during the game, Leafs blueliner Jake McCabe got involved in a scrum with Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway. The verbal exchange led to punches being thrown.
The altercation came in retaliation as Hathaway bowled into Leafs netminder Dennis Hildeby, sending Hildeby flat on his back. Hildeby was fine, but McCabe was not.
The replay showed how McCabe and Hathaway fell to the ice during the fight, with McCabe slamming the back of his head on the ice. Thankfully, McCabe still had his helmet on. Had it popped off, McCabe could have faced an even more serious injury.
Following the brouhaha, McCabe sat on the ice, visibly woozy from the impact. He was fine once the cuckoos cleared the room. But one can’t help but think, “Was that fight really necessary?”
Yes, the old-school hockey guy in me says so. McCabe did the right by standing up for his goaltender. He gets full marks for it and brownie points in the locker room.
But a broader question is, “Does the fight justify the injury?”
Let’s be clear. McCabe isn’t going to miss the rest of the season because of this. If anything, he’ll sit for a couple of games while he goes through concussion protocol. He may be a little lightheaded and feel like throwing up for a couple of days.
Concussions stink. I’ve had a couple of those myself so I can relate. But was it necessary for McCabe to drop the gloves, risking a serious injury?
McCabe Shouldn't be Fighting
McCabe’s injury ultimately puts the Toronto Maple Leafs in a tough spot as the team is down a defenceman. As such, the Leafs will need to have other blueliners step up. However, that situation didn’t seem to matter, as the team on Tuesday night they pulled out a gritty 3-2 win they didn't come close to deserving.
Some might think the Leafs played poorly against a struggling team. But the Flyers deserve more credit than they get. John Tortorella plays a tough, taxing system much like Craig Berube’s. But when looking at how the game unfolded, the Leafs defence was up to the task.
Sure, the team will miss McCabe’s rough-and-tumble nature. But then again, Simon Benoit, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Phillippe Myers have plenty of weight to throw around.
This season McCabe has been the Leafs best defenseman. He’s solid and mainly goes unnoticed because he doesn’t make costly gaffes. He doesn’t score a ton, but that’s not his job.
Hopefully, McCabe’s absence won’t become an issue for a Leafs defence that’s far better than anyone could have anticipated.