Comments from Veteran Maple Leaf Makes it Very Clear What the Team Wants Out of This Season

Acquired ahead of the 2023 trade deadline, in what may be Kyle Dubas' best move as GM of the Leafs, Jake McCabe quickly became a fan-favourite with his gritty style of play and ability to stabilize the back end for the Leafs.

Despite not playing in the playoffs prior to 2023, we saw McCabe evolve into quite arguably the Leafs' best defenseman over the past couple of seasons. Now, paired with Chris Tanev, the duo has become one of the league's best shutdown pairs and McCabe has once again elevated his game to another level.

The Leafs rewarded McCabe earlier this season with a shiny new extension, keeping their shutdown tandem together for the foreseeable future.

Following the Leafs' third straight win on Thursday night, the team clawed their way back into a tie for the division lead with the Florida Panthers. Asked about chasing down the defending Stanley Cup Champions for home-ice advantage, McCabe, the Wisconsin native, was very blunt about what the team wants to achieve going into the playoffs.

After losing five of six, the Leafs have racked up three straight victories heading into Nashville on Saturday and sit tied with the Panthers atop the division, two points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Unfortunately, the Panthers currently hold both tie-breakers over the Leafs in head-to-head wins and regulation wins so the Leafs will likely not only have to beat the Panthers in both their remaining games, but will have to do so in regulation.