McCabe (upper-body) has not seen game action since November 30 while Pacioretty (lower-body) has missed the last 10 games on LTIR.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed defenseman Jake McCabe (upper-body) on injured reserve retroactive to November 30. In doing so, the team announced on X that the club has activated forward Max Pacioretty, who has missed 10 games on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury.
A player must sit out for at least seven days before being eligible to return. Since November 30 was seven days ago, McCabe has already fulfilled the minimum required time on IR as of December 7. This allows the team to activate the player immediately when healthy and they choose to do so. The move comes solely based on roster management and the need for Pacioretty drawback in the lineup.
McCabe participated in a group skate on Thursday while the rest of the Maple Leafs took the day off ahead of a scheduled meeting with the Washington Capitals on Friday.
The 31-year-old has not appeared in any game action since leaving the game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on November 30 after taking a puck to the side of the head. Following the 5-3 win, head coach Craig Berube did not believe McCabe would miss any time but he has now missed three consecutive games. McCabe himself has stated he was ready to play, but the club opted to hold him out of their coming games.
Given the circumstances, it can be presumed McCabe will not be out much longer. Although he will miss Saturday’s matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins, there is a chance he could be ready for Tuesday’s game against the New Jersey Devils.
McCabe has been a stable defender for the club on the backend and will be a piece the Leafs want back sooner rather than later.
Pacioretty, on the other hand, is seemingly returning to the lineup at his earliest period on Saturday in Pittsburgh (December 7). Berube did mention that he thought Domi and "Patch are getting close” after practice on Tuesday – though not ready to return.
The 36-year-old has participated in practice as he continued to ramp back up to full speed, waiting for clearance from doctors for his return. His injury stemmed against one of his former teams, the Montreal Canadiens, being cross-checked in the back by defenseman Mike Matheson and falling to the ice, grabbing the back of his left thigh.
Though he claimed to have been feeling “really good” while practicing and getting back on the ice surface, the Leafs had some hoops to jump through to elevate the forward to the current roster – McCabe opening that spot.
With McCabe's move to injured reserve, the Maple Leafs are now in a position to bring Pacioretty back into the fold. His return will add more much-needed depth to the lineup, with Max Domi (lower-body) approaching his return as well.
While Pacioretty may need some time to fully adjust after his extended absence, the club still appears to be moving closer to full health.