Before the March 8th trade deadline, the Toronto Maple Leafs and GM Brad Treliving traded a 2026 sixth round pick to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for defensive prospect Cade Webber. Now, that move is looking more and more like a homerun.
Webber was drafted in the fourth round of the 2019 draft and is currently in his fourth season with the Boston University Terriers. The 23-year-old has not been known for his offensive abilities as he has just 1 goal and 16 points in his four seasons, but the 6'7, 216-pound left shot defenseman has been praised by scouts and analysts for his physicality, defensive play, and hockey IQ as noted by ESPN's Colby Cohen.
Last week, Webber was named Defensive Player of the Week, and today, Webber was named Defensive Defenseman of the Year in the Hockey East Division of the NCAA. While the verdict is still out on whether Webber will become a full-time NHLer or not, he could at the very least, become a serviceable depth option when injuries inevitably occur. Of course, the ceiling on this player seems a whole lot higher than that, though.
