Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe is expected to play a major role on the team’s blue line next season. It’s going to be fun to watch how new head coach Craig Berube utilizes McCabe’s skillset on what’s quickly become a much deeper blueline in Toronto.
McCabe is coming off a career-best season in almost every major category and spent the majority of the 2023-24 season playing alongside Simon Benoit, the second most used pairing last season. Looking ahead to how Berube will deploy his d-pairings, it’s very likely McCabe will once again be lined up alongside Benoit.
If they are the second pair or the third pair on the depth chart is the part that is yet to be determined. Chris Tanev and Morgan Rielly are essentially locked in as the top pair, meanwhile Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Timothy Liljegren will likely be pushing McCabe and Benoit for minutes behind Rielly and Tanev.
McCabe’s versatility will come in handy
While McCabe hasn’t played on the right-side of the ice throughout his entire career, he has done so a ton since joining the Maple Leafs ahead of the 2022-23 trade deadline. As a left-handed shot, McCabe is comfortable playing his off side and has done a good job learning how to properly position himself despite not being on his strong side.
With potential injuries creeping into the picture at some point next season, McCabe is a candidate to move throughout the Maple Leafs lineup. Toronto doesn’t have a ton of depth when it comes to right-handed shot defensemen as Tanev, Liljegren and Conor Timmins make up their only NHL options. Prospect Topi Niemela could push Timmins for a depth role, however neither defensemen is likely to start the season within the Maple Leafs’ top three pairs.
Look for Berube to use McCabe in more of a shut-down role. Despite putting up career-best numbers offensively, Ekman-Larsson is a better offensive option for the team’s power play, and the same can be said for Rielly, so McCabe isn’t expected to see power-play time unless one of those two defensemen are not available. Instead, look for McCabe to play significant minutes on Toronto’s penalty kill as he ranked fourth among Leafs blueliners last season in PK minutes, meanwhile the likes of T.J Brodie, Joel Edmundson, and Mark Giordano all won’t be back in 2024-25.
McCabe led the Maple Leafs d-core last season in plus/minus with a +20 rating and along with his partner Benoit, combined for a whopping 466 hits. For comparison sake, Rielly and Liljegren combined for just 190 hits combined. Berube is going to love this part of McCabe’s game as he and Benoit can bring consistent physicality night in and night out, which is something the Maple Leafs’ new bench boss will appreciate and encourage.
Contract extension looms for McCabe
Earlier this offseason, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported the Maple Leafs loved what McCabe brought to the table last season and were very open to working on a contract extension for the veteran defenseman. To this point, no extension has been announced, but there’s certainly a chance the contract is finalized before the start of next season.
McCabe earns four million total between the Chicago Blackhawks retaining $2 million and the $2 million cap hit Brad Treliving pays on Toronto’s books. For comparison sake, the New York Rangers just re-signed Ryan Lindgren to a one-year $4.5 million contract for 2024-25 and Lindgren is coming off a 17-point season and plays a very similar role for the Rangers. McCabe’s numbers are better than Lindgren’s so Treliving and the Leafs may have to go north of $5 million per season to get a deal completed.
Nevertheless, look for McCabe to be a catalyst among the Maple Leafs blue line next season. Berube is going to love his lunch-pale type of playing style and expect to see McCabe jumping over the boards anytime Toronto goes down a man. He’ll likely hover around the 20-25 point mark and if his offensive production continues to take off after a career season in 2023-24, it’s not out of the question he’ll be an option for the Maple Leafs’ second power-play unit.
