Here's what the Leafs are getting in Jake McCabe
Kyle Dubas has officially pushed his chips into the middle of the table. The Atlantic division is setting up to be an absolutely titanic battle(pun intended). The Leafs, Bruins and Lightning have all made big moves to bolster their rosters. It's tragic that after round 1 of the playoffs, at least one of the top 3 teams will be eliminated in the very first round.
It's not hard to argue that Dubas has made the biggest improvements to his squad, Sam Lafferty and Jake McCabe join Ryan O'Reilly and Noel Acciari as the Leafs acquisitions. It's important to remember that half McCabe's $4 million salary has been retained by Chicago and that his contract is good for another two seasons after this one. Lafferty also has another year left at $1.15M. These are not simple rentals. Kyle Dubas now has Giordano, Sandin, Liljegren, Timmins and McCabe signed through this season and next for a combined $6.85 million against the cap. That's ridiculously good value.
Jake McCabe in particular addresses the huge hole in the Leafs lineup left by Jake Muzzin's injury. McCabe is a 6'1, 204lb defenceman who plays a gritty, physical game. His results with the Blackhawks are surprisingly good considering just how bad the rest of the team has been this season. For example, the Blackhawks as a team are -53 at 5 on 5 this year. With McCabe on the ice, they are +2. During his average ice time of 20 minutes per game, he is a plus 7 overall. He is the only Blackhawk with a positive plus minus this season.
Oh, and he also does this:
And this:
And this!
In short, Jake McCabe looks great on paper, great by the eye test and absolutely fantastic to those who believed the Leafs were still too soft enering the playoffs. His ability to play the left or right side is a perfect cherry on top. If Dubas was swinging for the fences with the O'Reilly trade, he's aiming for the moon now. This is not just the best defence, but the best team the Leafs have put together in well over a decade. Leafs Nation, it's time to get excited!
