The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired collegiate defenceman Cade Webber from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round draft pick.
Webber is still unsigned while attending school, so the agreement is for his rights. The Leafs must contract him before August 15, otherwise his rights will expire and he will become a free agent. The same is true for Veeti Miettinen and Mike Koster, while Brandon Lisowsky, a WHL winger, will have his rights expire if not signed by June 1.
The Hurricanes drafted Webber 99th overall in 2019. The 23-year-old has spent the past four seasons at Boston University, scoring six points in 30 games. That equals the career high achieved last year as a junior. Webber has one goal and 16 points in 115 career games for Boston University, and he has been named to the Hockey East all-academic team three years in a row. Webber stands tall at 6 feet-7.
Webber’s addition provides the Leafs with additional defensive depth with either the Toronto Marlies or the Newfoundland Growlers, assuming he contracts. Webber was not expected to sign with the Hurricanes, so the move is a low-risk attempt by the Leafs to add some depth down the road.
Webber is the third defenseman acquired by the Leafs in the previous two weeks, following Ilya Lybushkin last week and Joel Edmundson earlier today.
The Maple Leafs will face the Boston Bruins tonight at 7:00 PM ET before heading to Montreal on Saturday.
