With the Maple Leafs reeling on defensive depth, the club turns to Simon Benoit to help fill the void.
Following a 6-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe lamented the fatigue factor that set into his defensive group.
Already without Jake McCabe (groin) and Timothy Liljegren (ankle), the Maple Leafs debuted Max Lajoie as their sixth defenseman. But the player was limited to 4:54.
On Monday, Simon Benoit will make his season debut and replace Lajoie as the sixth man on the back end.
What do the Leafs expect from the 6-foot-4 defenseman?
"Simplicity and physicality," Keefe said. "He’s a big physical guy, so keep the play in front of you and help keep the game under control and allow us to use our bench more."
The message was clear.
"Give us some minutes," Keefe said.
McCabe returned to practice for the first time on Sunday since he sustained a groin injury against the Dallas Stars on Oct. 26. He'll miss his fifth straight game due to the ailment.
The Maple Leafs signed Benoit to a one-year, $775,000 contract on August 28. He played in 78 games with the Anaheim Ducks last season where he had 128 blocked shots and 216 hits in 78 games and an average of 19:21 minutes of ice time. But the club elected not to extend the 25-year-old a qualifying offer to retain his rights.
Benoit was limited in training camp due to back spasms. When he did play, he took some questionable penalties in games. But the Leafs need someone to step up as the minutes to other core defensemen continue to climb in the wake of injuries at the position.
Morgan Rielly has averaged 26:56 over his last five games and 40-year-old Mark Giordano skated in a season-high 22:19.
"You want to help the team and be fresh and be up in the play and be doing all the things that make you impactful," Rielly said.
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