Jake McCabe is an excellent fit for the Leafs; here's what you can expect from McCabe if the Leafs do indeed acquire him
There has been a lot of talk about what the Leafs will do at this year's trade deadline. Some are of the mindset that the Buds will make a substantial addition up front, while others, including DFO's Frank Seravalli, believe that the Leafs' biggest addition may come on the back end.
With the potential that Jake Muzzin has played his last NHL game after having suffered a devastating cervical spine injury back in October, the Leafs may be looking for a Muzzin replacement. On Friday, Seravalli noted that the Leafs may have zeroed in on their target in 29-year-old Jake McCabe in Chicago.
So what would the Leafs be getting in McCabe? Well, in short, a defenseman whose game carries a lot of the same traits that they lost when Jake Muzzin went down. McCabe is a physical, two-way defender who loves to throw the body, block shots and isn't intimidated by anyone.
McCabe has never played in the postseason, spending the vast majority of his career in Buffalo during the franchise's darkest days. When he was finally able, he left Buffalo as a UFA and signed with a Chicago Blackhawks team who appeared to be preparing for another huge playoff push. Unfortunately, the acquisitions of Seth Jones and Marc-Andre Fleury didn't work out as planned and then, of course, there was the gutting of the front-office and the Brad Aldrich SA scandal coming to light that ultimately led to the Hawks deciding to trigger a top-to-bottom rebuild.
McCabe put up 167 shot blocks and 166 hits for the Hawks last season and is well on his way to exceeding both of those totals this season. So far, through 40 appearances this season, the American defenseman has racked up 92 shot blocks and 91 hits, adding 13 points and playing over 19 minutes per night.
While he's not as big as Muzzin, at just 6'1, 204 lbs, McCabe's plays just as big a game and the proof isn't hard to find.
This is the type of guy who could really help the Leafs come playoff time. His offensive and defensive impacts are highly underrated and the fact that he doesn't shy away from the physicality could suit the Buds extremely well. The down side is that since McCabe plays LD, it would further complicate things on the left side of the ice for the Buds, which is already pretty crowded with the likes of Morgan Rielly, Mark Giordano, Rasmus Sandin and Jordie Benn already in the fold.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 21 | 157 ANSWERS Jake McCabe is an excellent fit for the Leafs; here's what you can expect from McCabe if the Leafs do indeed acquire him Should the Leafs trade for Jake McCabe? | ||
| Absolutely | 39 | 24.8 % |
| It depends on the asking price | 101 | 64.3 % |
| Absolutely not | 17 | 10.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
