Maple Leafs’ Jake McCabe activated from IR, set to play vs. Ducks
The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced that defenseman Jake McCabe has been activated from injured reserve and will play on Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks.
Maple Leafs F Alex Nylander has been assigned to the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
D Jake McCabe has been activated from IR.
McCabe had missed the last five games with an upper-body injury that he suffered on November 30th against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He took a shot from Lightning defenseman Nick Perbix to the side of his head, and fell to the ice, with the play being called so that he could be escorted to the dressing room. The Leafs went 3-2-0 in his absence.
Based on the defense pairings deployed during the Leafs’ morning skate on Thursday, McCabe will slot back into the top four alongside Chris Tanev. Tanev has been McCabe’s most common linemate this season with 220:06 of time on ice together. They have outscored their opposition 10-4 and have an expected goal share of 56.19% in those minutes, with their 1.59 5v5 expected goals against per 60 minutes also being the second-best in the league among defense pairings with at least 200 minutes together.
McCabe hasn’t been overly productive for the Leafs this season, with just 5 assists in 23 games. However, he’s more than made up for it with his defensive game, as his 4.4 defensive goals above replacement is the sixth-best in the league.
In order to make room for McCabe on the roster, the Leafs placed winger Alex Nylander on waivers on Wednesday. Nylander cleared waivers on Thursday, and will now play with their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies. Nylander went without a point in 5 games with the Leafs, but has 8 goals and 4 assists for 12 points in 14 games with the Marlies.
The Leafs will look to build off of Tuesday’s overtime win over the New Jersey Devils when they host the Ducks on Thursday at 7 p.m. EST. Toronto currently sits in second in the Atlantic Division with a 17-9-2 record.