Maple Leafs To Sign Cade Webber
Cade Webber’s college season came to an end on Thursday when Boston University was eliminated by Denver in the Frozen Four semi-finals. However, his 2023-24 campaign hasn’t come to an end just yet as Joe Smith of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the blueliner will be signing an entry-level deal with Toronto and joining the team for its upcoming road trip.
The 23-year-old was a fourth-round pick by Carolina back in 2019, going 99th overall. However, he informed the team earlier in the season that he was leaning toward not signing with them and would test free agency in mid-August. That resulted in them flipping him to the Maple Leafs back in March in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick.
Webber is a throwback defensive defenseman; he scored just once in his four-year collegiate career and had just six assists this season. He led the NCAA in blocks with 137 this year, 35 ahead of second place and at 6’6, has the size and reach to be disruptive and effective in the defensive zone.
Since Webber was on Toronto’s reserve list at the trade deadline, he is eligible to play for them in the playoffs. However, with their defensive depth, it seems rather unlikely that he would. Instead, he’ll likely serve as a Black Ace and burn the first of what will be a two-year, entry-level deal in the process.
At the moment, Toronto has just $547K in cap space, per CapFriendly. While the terms of Webber’s deal aren’t known yet, it can’t be lower than $775K so they’ll have to make a roster move to free up the cap room to add him. The easiest path to do that would be to paper winger Nicholas Robertson back to AHL Toronto for the final few days of the regular season, then recall him for the postseason.
Leafs Ownership Considering Multiple Firings If Eliminated In First Round
An early playoff exit would likely result in wide-sweeping coaching and front-office changes for the Maple Leafs, James Mirtle of The Athletic said on “The Leaf Report” Thursday. “If there’s another really disappointing first-round exit, they’re gonna want blood. And I don’t know if just firing the coach is enough. I think they’re gonna want more than that,” said Mirtle.
A first-round exit in a likely rematch against the Panthers would likely result in the dismissal of head coach Sheldon Keefe, one of the longest-tenured bench bosses in the league now entering his fifth playoff run with the club. In terms of other executives that could get the axe, team president Brendan Shanahan has only one season left on his contract, according to Mirtle, and could be a candidate to be out of a job with new leadership in the Maple Leafs’ ownership group, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. After GM Brad Treliving was brought in only one summer ago, it seems unlikely he’d be relieved of his duties with such a small track record in the role for Toronto.
Ilya Lyubushkin, Joel Edmundson To Return To The Lineup
- Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Joel Edmundson has shared that he’s good to go, after missing the team’s last eight games with an undisclosed injury, shares TSN’s Mark Masters (Twitter link). He will be joined in re-entering the lineup by Ilya Lyubushkin, who has missed Toronto’s last three games. Masters adds that Conor Timmins and Jake McCabe will step out of the lineup – with McCabe getting rested after an extended stint in the lineup.
Joel Edmundson Ruled Out For Two More Games
Maple Leafs defenseman Joel Edmundson won’t be available for their next two games, head coach Sheldon Keefe said (via David Alter of The Hockey News). However, Keefe didn’t rule out the possibility of Edmundson returning later this week, potentially Thursday at home against the Devils. The 30-year-old hasn’t played since sustaining an undisclosed injury against the Hurricanes on March 24, knocking him out for now at least eight games. He’d been solid otherwise for Toronto, controlling possession quality well with a 50.5 xGF% in tough shutdown minutes at even strength through seven games. The Manitoba native is still looking for his first point as a Leaf after they picked him up from the Capitals before the trade deadline.
Toronto Maple Leafs Assign Noah Chadwick To AHL
The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed defense prospect Noah Chadwick to the minor leagues to finish the season (Twitter link). Chadwick signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Toronto in December, but finished out his year in the WHL before moving to the pros. He’s so far played in 66 WHL games this season, scoring a career-high 12 goals and 56 points.
Chadwick was drafted in the sixth-round of the 2023 NHL Draft, on the back of stalwart play on the defensive side of the red line. While his 20 points in 67 games last season certainly wasn’t inspiring, his long reach and ability to contain opponents stood out every single game. Chadwick’s impact remained largely on the defensive side this season, though his boost in scoring could give him good momentum going into the AHL.
Chadwick will have seven games to fight into the Toronto Marlies lineup before the AHL Playoffs begin. The Marlies sit at fourth in the North Division right now, three points ahead of the Laval Rocket and Belleville Senators with two games in hand. That should be plenty of playoff security, and buys Chadwick added time to earn his professional debut. He’ll face plenty of competition in the lineup, with the Marlies adding three defensemen earlier this week following the end of the Newfoundland Grizzlies’ season. The Marlies now sit at 13 defensemen, including Chadwick.
Maple Leafs To Activate Mitch Marner From LTIR
Star Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner was a full participant in today’s practice and is likely to return tomorrow against the Canadiens, Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun reports. As such, Toronto is expected to reinstate him from long-term injured reserve before Saturday’s 6 p.m. CT puck drop.
As head coach Sheldon Keefe tries to finalize line combinations before the postseason, Marner notably won’t return in his usual first-line role alongside Auston Matthews. In his absence, the generational goal-scorer has done quite well anchoring a line with Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi, so Marner slides down to the Leafs’ second even-strength unit alongside Bobby McMann and captain John Tavares. Marner hasn’t played since sustaining a high ankle sprain against the Bruins on March 7, causing a 12-game absence.
Before the injury, Marner was on pace to crack the 100-point mark for the first time in his career. That’s out of the question now, as he’d need 24 points in his final seven games to accomplish the feat, but it shouldn’t take away from a fourth truly exemplary season from the 2015 fourth-overall pick. He’s averaged over 1.2 points per game in each campaign over that span and has recorded expected ratings upward of +14 every time, firmly planting himself in the conversation for one of the best two-way wingers in the world. His 30 goals and 99 points last season while averaging 2:17 per game on the penalty kill earned him a Selke Trophy nomination for the first time, although he’s earned votes for the honor in five straight seasons.
His return allows Keefe to ice Matthews, Marner, and leading assist-getter William Nylander on three separate lines, something he hopes creates matchup headaches for opposing coaches when the playoffs begin later this month. The Leafs have made the playoffs every season in Matthews’ career but have failed to advance past the second round.
Injury Updates On Morgan Rielly, Joel Edmundson
- Line rushes indicate top Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly will return tonight against the Lightning after missing four games with an upper-body injury, David Alter of The Hockey News relays. The 30-year-old will return to a top-pairing role flanked by Ilya Lyubushkin, who have controlled 56% of expected goals in 92 minutes together since the latter was re-acquired from the Ducks on March 1, per MoneyPuck. Rielly is averaging 23:49 per game this season, the second-highest mark of his career, and has 51 points in 65 contests. He’s missed nine games on the whole this season, including a five-game suspension in February for cross-checking Senators forward Ridly Greig. 40-year-old Mark Giordano, who had one goal in three games since returning from a concussion, exits the lineup to accommodate Rielly.
Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Jacob Quillan To ELC
The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed free-agent college forward Jacob Quillan to a two-year entry-level contract. A native of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Quillan spent the last three seasons at Quinnipiac University where he posted 38 goals and 55 assists in 116 career NCAA games.
The 22-year-old also won a national championship last year with the Bobcats, scoring the overtime winner to secure the men’s NCAA title. He also took home the Frozen Four’s Most Outstanding Player award.
Elliotte Friedman is reporting that there was a lot of competition for Quillan’s services and it’s easy to see why after the season that he had. This year he assumed the role of top-line center with Quinnipiac, and he registered 17 goals and 29 assists in 39 games.
The Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) drafted Quillan in the 2018 entry draft, but he opted for the college route, although before beginning his NCAA career, Quillan played one season with the Penticton Vees in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). In that one season, he posted 13 goals and 14 assists in 20 games and also scored an overtime winner to help his team win the Okanagan Cup.
The contract begins next season and will carry an average annual value of $875K at the NHL level. Quillan will spend the remainder of this season with the Maple Leafs AHL affiliate the Toronto Marlies. He will play out the year on an amateur tryout to be eligible for the AHL playoffs.
Maple Leafs Recall Marshall Rifai
- The Maple Leafs announced they’ve brought up defenseman Marshall Rifai from AHL Toronto for the second time in three days. It’s an emergency loan, per CapFriendly, indicating he’ll serve as injury insurance ahead of tonight’s game against the Panthers and will likely return to the minors tomorrow. The 26-year-old landed his first NHL deal last summer after spending 2022-23 on an AHL contract with Toronto and made his first two NHL appearances in February, logging a shot on goal, a block and four hits while averaging 11:40 per game. Rifai coming up to the active roster today confirms that Morgan Rielly, who’s already missed three games with an upper-body injury, isn’t ready to return. Head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters that Rielly is “close to 100 percent” and will practice tomorrow, meaning he could return for Wednesday’s key clash for playoff positioning against the Lightning (via David Alter of The Hockey News).
Maple Leafs Place Mitch Marner On LTIR
March 31: Toronto assigned Rifai back to AHL Toronto on Sunday, per a team announcement. He did not play in Saturday’s 3-0 win over the Sabres. The Maple Leafs now have enough cap space to activate Marner from LTIR ahead of his anticipated return later this week.
March 30: The Maple Leafs have made a pair of roster moves heading into their game tonight in Buffalo. The team announced (Twitter link) that winger Mitch Marner has been placed on LTIR retroactive to March 7th for what they’ve termed as roster management purposes. In doing so, they opened up enough salary cap space to recall defenseman Marshall Rifai from AHL Toronto.
Marner has been out since March 7th with an ankle injury, a significant blow to Toronto’s lineup. Before the injury, the 26-year-old was doing quite well, collecting 25 goals and 51 assists in 62 games, a point-per-game pace that would have given him a legitimate opportunity to reach the 100-point mark after coming up just short on that front in each of the last two seasons.
As part of the LTIR requirements, a player must miss 10 games and 24 days before being eligible to be activated. Tonight’s game will be the tenth game that Marner misses while the 24-day mark will be reached on Sunday. It was noted yesterday that Marner is expected back at practice on Tuesday and this placement will not affect those plans.
As for Rifai, this is his second recall of the season after being up for a few days in February. During that stretch, he did get into a pair of games with the Maple Leafs, his first taste of NHL action. The 26-year-old has spent most of the season in the minors with the Marlies, picking up 17 points in 49 contests.
The Leafs have been hit hard with injuries on the blueline in recent days with Morgan Rielly, Joel Edmundson, and Timothy Liljegren all being banged up. It appears Rifai’s recall will serve as a hedge in case another veteran blueliner is unable to go against the Sabres.