The TLN Maple Leafs prospect rankings were compiled by a panel of seven TLN writers, each ranking our top 20 prospects to form a consensus group ranking.
Rather than hard and fast limits on age or NHL games played to determine “prospect” eligibility, our group decided on a more nuanced approach to include any reasonably young player who is either under contract with the Leafs or on the club’s reserve list, who has not yet established himself as a full-time NHLer.
Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving has a type when it comes to defencemen. You saw it in the kind of defensive corps he built with the Calgary Flames, and you saw it in his trade deadline activity with the deals for Joel Edmundson and Ilya Lyubushkin. Among those trade deadline deals was a quiet transaction with the Carolina Hurricanes, when the Leafs acquired the rights to prospect defenceman Cade Webber in exchange for a 2024 sixth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
A hulking blueliner hailing from Massachusetts, Webber was originally drafted in the fourth round by the Hurricanes back in 2019. The 23-year-old had just completed his fourth season with Boston University and was nearing the point where his team was going to have to decide whether to retain his rights and sign him to an entry-level contract or let him walk to free agency. Whether the Hurricanes didn’t want to keep him or just weren’t confident he was going to sign with them is unknown, but clearly, there was something that attracted Treliving and Co. more than other teams. To give up an asset and effectively jump the line when it comes to potential suitors is only something you do if you really like the guy or something about them.
So, what is that “something” in reference to Webber? Let’s address the elephant in the room first. He’s a giant on skates, standing at 6-foot-7 and 208 pounds. If you pull up his EliteProspects page, there’s not going to be a ton that jumps out at you, but the stat sheet isn’t where he makes his money. Webber is about as true of a stay-at-home defenceman as you’ll find, with minimal to no offence in his game. In 123 games across four seasons with Boston University, he tallied two, two, six, and six points respectively. One of those combined 14 points was a goal. Luckily, he spent the last two years of his university career paired with Montreal Canadiens’ top prospect Lane Hutson, who is essentially on the opposite end of the spectrum of NHL defenceman types. For context, Hutson had 15 goals and 49 points in 38 games – second only to recent first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini.
“I take pride in being that defensive defenceman, blocking shots, doing the unsexy things,” Webber said at Maple Leafs development camp back in July. “That’s a big thing here. I know that they’re going to put all they can into developing me. I know this is just the beginning. I have a ton of more work to do. I’m looking forward to that.”
And take pride he does. For all of the attention Hutson rightfully got for his play this season, Webber was 50% of that well-oiled machine. Every offensive defenceman dreams of a partner who can eat the brunt of the dirty work defensively and effectively move the puck up the ice to start rush chances, and the better your partner is at doing that, the more it allows you to play your game and get creative with the puck, which is something that Hutson thrives at.
Never a doubt who was getting this award.
Congrats to Cade Webber on being selected as the Best Defensive Defenseman in Hockey East! pic.twitter.com/4f4Qv4Mdgv
— BU Men’s Hockey (@TerrierHockey) March 13, 2024
Webber was recognized for his play this past season with the honours of being chosen as the league’s best defensive defenceman. As he put in his own words, he loves doing the unsexy things such as blocking shots and sacrificing his body for his team, but what makes Webber’s game even more intriguing is the mobility. While a 6-foot-7 defenceman is always going to be an imposing sight for opposing forwards, the game has evolved in a way that makes it harder for players like that to keep up. The game has gotten noticeably faster in the past decade, which is why you see less and less of those types and an emergence of puck-movers who are strong defensively despite not being the tallest on the ice, such as Sean Walker of the Carolina Hurricanes and Alexandre Carrier of the Nashville Predators. Webber carrying the unique combo of being tall and not a boat anchor on skates is something that will likely bode well for him in his pursuit of an NHL career.
One misconception with Webber’s game that fans will likely fall victim to is that he’s some gigantic, punishing, mean defenceman who will lay Jake McCabe-esque open ice hits to anybody with a five at the start of their height. He isn’t. However, he uses his body effectively to box out opposing forwards as they make their way into the zone, and regardless of how hard the hits are, a 6-foot-7 defenceman staring you down and challenging you will always make an opposing forward think twice about whatever they plan to do when they cross the blue line. In playing for an organization where Brad Treliving and Craig Berube are employed, there’s no doubt in my mind that Webber’s physicality will be something that’s improved as he continues his development in the organization.
Speaking of that, it’s very safe to assume he’ll start next season with the Toronto Marlies. Well, it’s a given. Unless he has the most revolutionary training camp of all time, he will be in the AHL to start the next step of his journey to the NHL. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him get some minutes alongside Topi Niemela, who is the Leafs’ best aforementioned puck-moving defenceman in the organization and also shoots right, which will compliment Webber’s left-handed shot nicely. And, while I highly doubt he’ll get into much NHL action next season, never say never. As we’ve seen in the past, especially on defence, injuries can pile up (I never would have guessed we see Marshall Rifai in an NHL game this time last season, but here we are!).
It’s important to temper expectations with Webber like it is any other prospect. If he makes the NHL, he probably won’t be anything more than a bottom-pair defenceman, especially if he sticks to his “all defence, no offence” mantra. But, luckily for him, Toronto fans are largely blue collar and have a staunch appreciation for the players who do the unsexy things. Maybe he’s just another low-ceiling, high floor players who moves on from the organization, plays for a couple of other teams in a depth role, and eventually signs in Europe or something. Or, maybe there’s something to his game that will make Treliving and Co. look like geniuses three or four years from now. That’s the beauty of prospects.
