Sheldon Keefe makes surprising change to Leafs' D pairings at practice

On the blueline, Mark Giordano returned to practice following a maintenance day and reunited with Timothy Liljegren. Morgan Rielly and T.J. Brodie skated together once again, but Jake McCabe was paired with 25-year-old Simon Benoit as the Leafs' second pairing. Benoit was signed to a 1-year deal worth $775K just prior to training camp on August 28th to add to the defensive depth of the Leafs. The 25-year-old adds some much needed sandpaper and size to the Leafs' back end, even though he is currently the seventh or eighth defenseman on the depth chart.

Benoit has spent his entire career with the Anaheim Ducks before joining the Leafs this summer. He is coming off of a season in which he registered 10 points in 78 games but had 128 blocks and 216 hits, which is exactly what the Leafs need more of in the lineup. Given the injury to John Klingberg, the fact he's still not back at practice after a week off, combined with the long-term injury to Conor Timmins, Benoit and Mikko Kokkonen appear to be battling it out for the final spot on the Leafs' blueline, barring a trade or a waiver claim.