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    David Alter
    David Alter
    Apr 14, 2024, 13:00

    Jake McCabe also had to leave the game after blocking a shot in the face,

    Jake McCabe also had to leave the game after blocking a shot in the face,

    The Toronto Maple Leafs will need more time to figure how much time, if any, they will be without forward Bobby McMann.

    The 27-year-old forward left the Leafs' 5-4 overtime loss during the first intermission and did not return with a lower-body injury.

    "(I) don't know the severity of it," Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said.

    Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe was also forced to leave the game after he took a puck to his face while blocking a shot.

    "Thankfully he's ok," Auston Matthews said of McCabe after the game. 

    Keefe added that the main reason McCabe didn't come back was due to swelling around the eye.

    "And his vision wasn't impaired because of the swelling. But it's gotten better here now. So if that trend continues, he'll be fine," Keefe said.

    It's not clear how McMann got injured but the Alberta native has missed action earlier this season and parts of last season with an adductor injury and related injuries within the same area. He has 15 goals and nine assists in 55 games and had lately been playing regularly in a top-six forward role. One month ago, the Leafs reward McMann with a two-year contract extension that would be keep him in the fold through the 2025-26 season. The contract carries an average annual value of $1.35 million per season.

    [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6XB4DiJ4EY[/embed]

    With two games remaining in the regular season, Keefe was asked about how he'll handle any load management, but he also mentions injuries like the ones to McMann and current roster constraints that will likely decide for him.

    "We got guys dropping right now. We're going to have to dress 18 skaters. So we got some guys that will not be available for us." Keefe said. "So that in itself is going to be a factor. And the salary cap is what it is. We can only have so many guys. So there are lots of things to sort out here in the next little bit."

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