Over the last three games, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube has tried to change things up by placing reliable defender Jake McCabe on the right side of Rielly in an effort to help ignite Rielly's offensive game. Has it worked?

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe's stat line from Thursday's win over the New Jersey Devils shows just how much the team missed him while he was out.

Jared Spurgeon and Marat Khusnutdinov scored in the first period, Filip Gustavsson stopped 31 shots, and the Minnesota Wild beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1.

Leafs answered our poll. In part 1, we reveal the teammates most Leafs would like to be stuck with in an elevator, and more.

Fraser Minten will play for the Leafs for the first time since Dec. 14 and will centre a line with Max Domi and Nick Robertson on the wings. “I like the player,” Berube said in reference to Minten. “Patches went out, he’s a guy who has played up here and he’s a smart player, we put him in the middle of the ice. I have trust in him.”

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Toronto Maple Leafs’ William Nylander, right, celebrates after his winning goal against the New Jersey ...

Since coming to Toronto, McCabe has been a reliable presence for the Leafs’ backend – and the team has missed him throughout his absences. This season, McCabe has one goal and 12 assists for a 13-point total. He has posted a plus-13 rating, while registering 81 blocked shots and 76 hits.

“It can be the most random time in the summer and no matter what, you’ll see 'RR' pop up on your phone,” Nick Robertson said. Every group chat needs an instigator; someone to keep the dialogue alive during low points. On and off the ice, Reaves fills that role.

Rielly has two points in his last 11 games with Toronto and admitted after Wednesday's 3-1 loss to Minnesota that he needs to be better.

Shane Pinto scored the tiebreaking goal midway through the third period and the Ottawa Senators beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1.

Squaring off with nearly identical records entering Wednesday’s contest, the Toronto Maple Leafs were presented with a key opportunity to get out of a rut against a quality Minnesota Wild team, with a four-game road trip on the horizon before the 4 Nations Face-Off break.

With speculation over who Toronto is going to bring in via a trade, the perfect player has emerged to help their blueline and find a new spot for Nick Robertson.