It’s never an easy time when a key defender goes down with an injury, but during the Buffalo Sabres game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Jake McCabe went down with an upper body injury and is projected to be out for 5-8 weeks. This would put him out for the remainder of the season, and possibly for a few playoff games if the Sabres manage to climb their way back into legitimate contention.
With this injury, coach Phil Housley should strongly consider reinserting Casey Nelson into the defensive lineup. This would mean taking out either Marco Scandella or Matt Hunwick, placing Nelson on the top pair alongside Rasmus Ristolainen, or third pair with Brandon Montour.