Leafs Share Unfortunate Announcement Regarding Defenseman Jake McCabe

Jake McCabe did not accompany the Leafs to Pittsburgh on Saturday night, but joined the team in Newark and returned to practice on Monday.

McCabe has been out of the lineup since taking a puck to the neck/head area against the Tampa Bay Lightning on November 30th.

What was said to be a 'day-to-day' injury by Craig Berube has now turned into a 10-day absence. At Tuesday's morning skate, Berube confirmed that McCabe won't play against the Devils.

Given that McCabe was practicing on the fourth pairing with Marshall Rifai on Monday, it doesn't come as much of a shock that he is unavailable for the Leafs on Tuesday. However, McCabe is expected to be back at some point this week.

The 31-year-old, 2012 second-round pick signed a five-year extension with the Leafs at the end of October.

Through 23 games this season, McCabe has registered 5 assists, but is second to Chris Tanev in blocks with 46 and second to Simon Benoit in hits with 52. He has also been an integral part of the Leafs' penalty kill.

Since being acquired by Kyle Dubas ahead of the 2023 trade deadline from the Chicago Blackhaws, McCabe been a stabilizing presence on the blueline, bringing physicality, sandpaper and reliability to the top-four.