The Toronto Maple Leafs’ new defensive structure worked well in the club’s 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday. Specifically, Morgan Rielly and Jake McCabe formed a new pairing on the blueline that left all parties leaving Scotiabank Arena feeling promising.

The Toronto Maple Leafs held a practice on Monday in preparation for their evening matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and with it came another shake-up on defense. Morgan Rielly, who has spent much of the past month skating alongside Philippe Myers,

McCabe took part in his first full practice since he was injured in a fight with Philadelphia Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway.

With McCabe out with an injury until at least Jan. 14, the upcoming slate for the Leafs could test their mettle as a contender.

When defenceman Jake McCabe went down to an upper-body injury two weeks ago, you felt the loss of his presence on the Maple Leafs' blueline in a meaningful way, with the team losing three straight games.

Although small, Dreger also provided an update on Anthony Stolarz, who's been out with a knee injury since Dec. 12 against the Ducks. "End of January, first week of Feb," Dreger said of Stolarz's reported return date.

McCabe is on a five-year, $22,565,510 extension, and his absence has already hurt the Leafs. They dropped two points last night, although they still lead the division by four points over the defending champions Florida Panthers.

Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Jake McCabe appears to be closing in on his return to the lineup soon. He has been an active participant in the regular jerseys at recent practices and morning skates, including Wednesday’s practice where he was once again skating with the main group.

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe's stat line from Thursday's win over the New Jersey Devils shows just how much the team missed him while he was out.

Jake McCabe confirmed that he plans to play against the New Jersey Devils after missing the last four games with an upper-body injury.

The Toronto Maple Leafs may have lost a key piece of their blue line. Jake McCabe was ruled out Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers after suffering an apparent head injury, the team announced.

Keefe spent parts of two seasons coaching McCabe and McMann, leading them to career-high point totals last year.