Maple Leafs, Jake McCabe Agree to Five-Year Contract Extension
The Toronto Maple Leafs have locked up a key member of their blueline for the foreseeable future.
On Monday, the club announced it had inked defenceman Jake McCabe to a five-year contract extension with an average annual value of $4.51 million per season.
The 31-year-old is in the final season of a four-year, $16-million contract ($4 million AAV) signed in July 2021 and was previously set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
McCabe’s extension also reportedly includes salary deferrals in years two and three, as reported by Bartlett Hockey – his agency – and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. That lowered his AAV from approximately $4.7 million to $4.51 million through 2028-29.
Over the summer, several outlets reported the Maple Leafs and McCabe had mutual interest in extending their relationship beyond this season. Months later, the veteran blueliner expressed his desire to stay long-term during training camp in September.
Now that his deal has reached the finish line, the left-handed defenceman will officially remain in Toronto beyond his third season with the franchise.
The Maple Leafs acquired McCabe, forward Sam Lafferty and two conditional fifth-round picks via trade from the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2022-23 campaign. In return, the team sent forwards Joey Anderson and Pavel Gogolev, along with its 2025 first-round and 2026 second-round selections.
As part of the deal, Chicago retained 50 percent of McCabe’s remaining contract, lowering his current AAV to a team-friendly $2 million.
McCabe, a second-round selection in 2012, spent the first eight seasons of his NHL career with the Buffalo Sabres. Across 353 games, he totalled 18 goals and 77 points while averaging 19:15 minutes per night, adding 522 hits and 517 blocks.
Following the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, the 6-foot-1 defenceman departed for the Windy City, signing with the Blackhawks as a free agent. But he only played one full season in Chicago, posting four goals and 22 points across 75 games, earning a career-worst minus-27 rating.
In 2022-23, McCabe logged 55 contests in his final season with the rebuilding franchise, potting two goals and 20 points prior to being traded to Toronto. He concluded the campaign with one goal and five points in 21 games with his new club following his arrival.
The Eau Claire, Wisconsin, native enjoyed the top statistical performance of his 12-year NHL career last season, registering career-highs in goals (eight), points (28), plus-minus rating (+20), shooting percentage (11%) and hits (219).
This season, McCabe owns a trio of assists over the Maple Leafs’ first nine games, averaging a career-high 21:09 minutes per night. That comes in just below the 21:24 he earned per game during his second career postseason appearance – both with Toronto – last summer.
After winning three of four out of the gate, the Maple Leafs have dropped four of their previous five games, including each of their last three contests. Still, the club possesses a 4-4-1 record early on, accounting for nine points, tied for third in the Atlantic Division.
Toronto may be hard-pressed to snap its current three-game slide during Monday’s showdown in Winnipeg against the Jets, the league’s last remaining undefeated team at 8-0-0.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: Jenn G. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.