Maple Leafs Lose Top Defenseman to Injury in Playoff Spot Clinching Win Over Panthers

The Leafs clinched a playoff berth for the ninth consecutive season on Wednesday night, collecting a hard-fought two points and a regulation win over the Florida Panthers.

Unfortunately, those two points came with the loss of David Kampf and Jake McCabe. Kampf's last shift with just over a minute to go in the second period ended with him hunched over, skating to the bench.

In the intermission, the Leafs announced he would not return for the third period due to an upper-body injury.

The loss of Kampf is not insignificant, but losing the 4th line anchor is not what everyone is most concerned about.

After a face-off win following an icing call, Jake McCabe and Carter Verhaeghe collided on their way to the corner for the puck. The collision sent McCabe falling awkwardly into the boards.

McCabe remained in the play until the Leafs iced the puck again, and he was able to change and headed straight to the Leafs' dressing room.

Head coach Craig Berube did not provide any further update on either player following the game.

Hopefully the injuries to Kampf and McCabe are more bumps and bruises than anything else, but with a handful of games left in the regular season, it wouldn't be a surprise to see both sit out the majority of them as a precautionary measure.