Jake McCabe says the Leafs have zero intention of quitting and that challenges everything Pronger just said

Photo credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Chris Pronger laughed at the Maple Leafs for not protecting Auston Matthews. Jake McCabe has a direct response to that. And it explains why this team has played differently every game ever since.

But recently the team has been playing with a more renewed fire and we’re seeing a lot of players getting down and dirty. You know things are different when a six-foot-tall rookie takes on one of the tallest and heaviest players in the league because that’s borderline psychotic.

McCabe says ‘taking things for granted’ at the NHL level is going to get you booted out pretty quickly

It’s something that Jake McCabe commented on while trying to silence the chatter about Toronto’s lack of heart:

A large chunk of us will be back next year. You need to build bonds with teammates. If you’re not playing hard, you’re leaving your teammate out to dry. I think we’ve done a good job of it the past couple of weeks.

While a large chunk might be a stretch considering all the pieces that have to be taken out in order to build a better roster, McCabe is undoubtedly a lock and arguably Toronto’s most important blueliner.

But it was his comments about the difficulty of the NHL game that sheds a new light on why the team hasn’t exactly given up:

Anytime you take things for granted in this league, you’ll find yourself out of it pretty quick. There’s always guys knocking at the door. Everyone says (the NHL) is hard to make. It’s harder to stay.

Pronger said the Leafs have no pride, but McCabe’s comments suggested the opposite, albeit indirectly

Although you can’t fault him for being upset at the lack of a response from the Maple Leafs, there is something about sticking with who you have until you can’t anymore.

This is a guy who had a lot of expectations, has done well, but also sat a month for no reason. Instead of sulking, he came out and played a lot harder and since the Matthews incident feels like someone who wants to fight anyone and anything.

But he’s being looked at as a huge part of the future and if he didn’t put together a strong effort, or simply tried to coast off his name value alone — he’d be sent to the Marlies for next season to bruise his ego a bit.

You also have guys like Michael Pezzetta, who barely got a shot although was legitimately the first free agent Toronto signed last summer. He came in, immediately set the tone, and is someone you can rely on consistently to put his own personal ice-time aside for the sake of his teammates.

He spends a lot of time in the box, but he’s doing it to ensure his teammates are safer.

We’ll see how Toronto gets to respond against Anaheim on Monday night, as the final meeting of the two is steeped in tension although Radko Gudas’ injury may prevent a full-fledged vengeance plot.

But that doesn’t mean the team can’t come out and play with a little venom and maybe show Pronger and the rest of the NHL that although they may be snakebitten — they’re still a group fighting for each other…and their careers.

Previously on Hockey Patrol