Watch: Jordie Benn gets the Leafs' belt after impressive debut
The Toronto Maple Leafs were able to get back in the Win column on Saturday night, coming off of two losses to the Golden Knights and Penguins. There were a couple great storylines from the game, such as the tear-jerking tribute to Leafs legend Börje Salming and Erik Källgren's impressive performance in the back-to-back after playing on Friday night. Another good storyline was Jordie Benn playing in his first game as a leaf and scoring the game-winning goal. He played a great game and was later given the belt for the player of the game from the former belt-holder, the aforementioned Kallgren.
Benn is a 596-game NHL veteran who has split his career between six different teams. The Leafs signed the 35-year-old to a league minimum deal this past offseason, hoping to add some depth on the back-end. Unfortunately for Benn, he suffered an injury during the preseason and was forced to miss game action for a while. It's safe to say that his first game as a Leaf was a good one, and he seems to have become popular in the locker-room.
While Benn is more of a depth defenseman at this stages in his career, the Leafs are lacking physicality in their lineup and he certainly brings that element to the table. With no timeline for Muzzin to return, it won't be surprising to see Benn play more games for the Buds and prove that he belongs in the lineup.
