Report: Cade Webber has signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs

Details of the contract are unknown at this time, other than that it will be an entry-level contract. The Maple Leafs acquired the rights to Webber from the Carolina Hurricanes at the trade deadline for a 2026 sixth-round pick.

Webber, 23, just finished his fourth season at Boston University after defeating Denver in a 2-1 overtime thriller in the semifinals of the Frozen Four. Webber had just six assists in 38 games this season, but was named the Hockey East's Defensive Player of the Year for his play this season. During his four-year tenure at Boston University, Webber had 1 goal and 15 assists for 16 points in 123 games.

“Webber will never be an offensive threat,” said Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff's future analyst. “He's always going to be the guy you throw up the ice to kill the penalty or shut down the other team's star players — at least in the NCAA. He can move, but does he have NHL-caliber speed? I'm not sure. “You're not looking for a guy who's going to be quick because he's not going to rush in and try to score — it's all about covering things on the blue line or getting opponents off the road.”

Webber was a fourth-round pick of the Hurricanes in the 2019 NHL Draft out of USHS Prep Hockey, and after spending one season with the BCHL's Penticton Vees, he began his collegiate career at Boston University in 2020.

If the Leafs aren't so confident in their blue line that they don't want to throw Webber to the wolves at the NHL level, he could start his professional career with the Toronto Marlies in the AHL. The Marys are currently fourth in the North Division and have yet to qualify for the playoffs. He joins the Marlies Blues, who boast veteran players like Topi Niemla, William Villeneuve and Mikko Kokkonen, as well as Max Lajoie, Marshall Rifai and Cameron Gaunce.