TORONTO — While the future of their top-six forward group remains one of the NHL’s more intriguing mysteries, the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ top-four defencemen are all locked in and locked up for the foreseeable future.
Rugged workhorse and impending unrestricted free agent Jake McCabe signed a five-year contract extension Monday that carries an average annual value of $4.51 million.
“I love it here, and think they enjoy my game, too,” McCabe said upon arriving at training camp with news that negotiations were well underway.
No doubt, the 31-year-old could have garnered at least that much or more on the open market, considering the dearth of established top-four blueliners expected to hit the open market come July.
To maintain a team-friendly cap hit for a club that always spends to the ceiling, McCabe will defer $5.5 million between Years 2 and 3 of his new deal until July 1, 2030. Otherwise, his AAV would have been approximately $4.7 million, colleague/mathematician Elliotte Freidman reports.
The player will be receiving massive signing bonuses, though: $5.225 million in Year 1, $4.5 million in Year 2, $3.8 million in Year 3, and $1 million in Year 4.
This is a creative solution to offer the Leafs more cap flexibility and still provide McCabe with a nice chunk of cash up front.
(The Carolina Hurricanes employed a similar strategy over the summer in their re-signing of forward Seth Jarvis and defenceman Jaccob Slavin.)
The Eau Claire, Wis., native arrived in Toronto at the 2023 trade deadline in a package deal with the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks — who are retaining half of his current $4-million cap hit until the conclusion of this season — and got his first and only taste of playoff action as a Maple Leaf.
Increasingly, the left shot has embraced a leadership role in the room and established himself as a versatile and dependable option for the coaching staff. He kills penalties, chips in some offence, and happily plays his off-side for stretches.
McCabe can form a shutdown pair with Chris Tanev or Simon Benoit, or partner with a puck mover like Oliver Ekman-Larsson for a more balanced look.
McCabe plays with edge, plays hurt, and forces rushing attackers to keep their heads up. He has fast become a go-to option for coach Craig Berube.
“He might be my favourite defenceman in the league. He does a little bit of everything. He’s got really good poise with the puck and breaks out well. He plays so physical. Blocks shots. He adds a little offence, too,” teammate Ryan Reaves said.
“He’s kind of like a unicorn in the league — just a guy who does everything really well.”
The six-foot-one, 212-pound D-man hit the bargaining table hot off the best statistical campaign of his 11-year career, posting seasonal highs in goals (eight), points (28), plus/minus (+20), and hits (219).
And he has carried that momentum into 2024-25, ranking third among Leafs defenders in ice time (21:09), leading the team in plus/minus (+6), and putting up three assists through nine games at the time of his signing.
McCabe changed agents on June 19, from Forward Hockey to Brian and Scott Bartlett, who also negotiated teammate Bobby McMann’s two-year, $2.7-million extension with GM Brad Treliving last season.
“I played with him pretty much all last year,” Benoit said. “He showed me some great things. You can see on the ice, how calm he is. He makes those little passes, a lot of little details. And he still plays that old-school game — physical, hard to play against, in your face. I think that’s what we need here, and he’s all about that.”
Captain Auston Matthews delivered a resounding endorsement when learning that McCabe was talking extension: “He’s very important. As far as leadership goes, he’s one of the more vocal guys in the room and on the bench, and it’s something we really appreciate. I’ve known (McCabe) a really long time. Amazing person. Amazing teammate. And he’s a guy that’s always gonna have your back on the ice. It’s been awesome having him here.”
The McCabe deal solidifies Toronto’s top four through till 2027-28, when Matthews’ contract expires.
Combined, Morgan Rielly, Tanev, Ekman-Larsson, and McCabe will cost $19.6 million against the cap for the next three seasons.
The cost certainty of that D corps is fantastic for planning purposes. And their experience is valued.
The catch? Father Time.
Tanev’s contract expires at age 40. McCabe, Rielly and Ekman-Larsson will all be 36 when their deals wrap.
Knowing how ageing works in a contact sport, this ramps up the urgency for the Maple Leafs to win before Matthews comes due again and this defence loses a step.
The window is now.
“Continue to improve — that’s my been my goal every single year in this league,” McCabe said. “As you put the games together in this league, put yourself in more situations, you’re more comfortable every single year, especially as a defenceman.
“I want to just take another step as a leader on this team and just keep pushing us in the right direction.”
