Insider Darren Dreger Provides Latest Update on Defenseman Jake McCabe After Concerning Injury
NHL Insider Darren Dreger gave an update regarding Jake McCabe's injury status after he left Sunday's game with an upper-body injury.
It was a scary incident on Sunday night during the Maple Leafs vs. Flyers game when Toronto defenseman Jake McCabe got into a scrap with Philly's Garnet Hathaway. The fight itself wasn't the cause of concern but how it ended.
During the end of the very short scrap, Hathaway took McCabe down and landed on top of his head as both men fell to the ice. The Leafs defenseman was shaken up and clearly looked dazed. He made it to the locker room under his own power but did not return.
It's a massive blow to Toronto's defensive corps as he and Chris Tanev were not only the team's best defensive duo, but one of the league's best too. If McCabe is out long-term, it can only mean their journey to the playoffs just got a whole lot more difficult.
Speaking on McCabe's injury, NHL Insider Darren Dreger was pressed on if he believes the injury would keep him out for a good chunk of time, and he wasn't too positive:
His head bounced off the ice after his scrap with Hathaway, but he weirdly got kicked in the stomach when he was taken down. Is it a head injury, and given his history it's important [concussion protocol].
Could it be something else that kept him out, the suspicion was concussion related but he requires more evaluation. We may not get details today, and if Craig Berube is available he's going to say 'They need more testing, it's a day to day thing.'"
So with McCabe potentially being out long-term, what does this mean for the team going forward?
Toronto's Defensemen Need To Step Up In McCabe's Absence
With McCabe presumed to miss some time, it's up to Toronto's defensemen to take over in his absence. A lot of pressure will fall onto Chris Tanev as he will be looked upon to provide a majority of the shutdown defense.
It's time for Morgan Rielly to provide both an offensive and defensive spark for the team. He had a good start on Sunday scoring the overtime winner, but he needs to get better in his own end and not make so many careless mistakes.
Toronto just re-signed Philippe Myers to a two-year extension and are clearly high on the young defenseman and it's his time to prove that he can not only hang in the NHL but make a statement. He was signed to add depth due to injuries such as this, so there's no time better to showcase his potential.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson needs to be the veteran leader on the ice who can not only provide grittiness and edge, but help out Toronto's younger players like Simon Benoit and Conor Timmins who are going to need to be relied on more.
Toronto is going to be in tough without Jake McCabe but they have the tools necessary to weather the storm without him, though it won't be the easiest path to navigate.
