Ben Danford's Toronto Maple Leafs Debut Just Made Craig Berube's Job a lot Harder
Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Ben Danford was in the lineup against the Ottawa Senators on Sunday, and it led to quite a bit of praise from Craig Berube.
Ben Danford is a defenseman who had plenty of question marks heading into this season, as he still has one more season of OHL eligibility left.
The Oshawa Generals defenseman has been criticized as someone who will only ever be a fifth or sixth D-man on a competitive NHL franchise.
However, the Leafs still believe in him, and they even had him play against the Ottawa Senators on Sunday in his Maple Leafs preseason debut.
It was a very strong game for the OHL superstar, who had numerous plays in which he was able to shut down some strong NHL competitors.
Ben Danford impresses Craig Berube
Below, you can see one particular moment where he was able to tie up his man in front of the net, ensuring that the puck didn't end up in the back of the net.
It is the kind of moment that showcases maturity, and it is further proof that Danford can be trusted with some NHL-level assignments.
After the game, Craig Berube spoke about Danford and his game, and as you will read, there were plenty of compliments from the Maple Leafs head coach.
I thought Ben Danford played a good, solid hockey game. It is not a flashy game by any means, but it is just about the first pass, defending well, and playing a hard game. He was pretty much mistake-free. It was impressive.
This will create a bit of an issue for Craig Berube, who might have to hold off on cutting Danford early. After all, the Leafs could use a right-handed defenseman with some goal-scoring potential.
The most likely thing to happen here is Danford being sent down to the OHL for one more year. That said, Leafs fans cannot help but be very hopeful for the future.
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| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 22 | 259 ANSWERS Ben Danford's Toronto Maple Leafs Debut Just Made Craig Berube's Job a lot Harder Do you believe Ben Danford will make the Toronto Maple Leafs next season? | ||
| YES | 178 | 68.7 % |
| NO | 81 | 31.3 % |
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