The Buffalo Sabres have suffered a massive loss to their defense corps and leadership core with the season ending injury to veteran blue liner Jake McCabe.
McCabe was send home to Buffalo on Sunday so that he could get MRI tests done on his badly injured leg.
McCabe was injured on this exchange with Devils forward Nico Hischier in Saturday's 3-2 Sabres win.
McCabe, 27, had 22 hits, 15 blocked shots, 15 shots on goal and is averaging 19:11 TOI this season. McCabe also scored 1 goal and added 2 assists in 13 games this season.
In 353 career NHL games with the Sabres, McCabe has scored 18 goals and 59 assists for 77points.
McCabe will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2021 season.
McCabe had just returned last week from a two week bout with COVID-19.
McCabe will be sorely missed in the Sabres' room as he is a key cog and a source of true grit and toughness on the Buffalo blue line.
His defense partner Rasmus Ristolainen is still out of the lineup dealing with the after effects of being infected with the dreaded COVID-19 virus.
The subtraction of McCabe and Ristolainen from the Buffalo D corps leaves two massive craters that are not easily replaced.
Rookie Will Borgen has looked every bit as physical and heavy as McCabe in his four games played this season. Borgen, a right D, will no doubt be getting promoted into a top four role on the BUffalo blue line. Borgen blocked a shot on Saturday and is day-to-day.
Defensemen Henri Jokiharju, a healthy scratch Saturday, and Brandon Davidson will have to be contributors in the wake of McCabe's absence.
The Sabres also added more defensemen Sunday, recalling Jacob Bryson and Casey Fitzgerald from the Rochester Amerks to the taxi squad.
More to come.....
________________________________________________________________________
Buffalo Sabres Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»