Maple Leafs' Defenseman Jake McCabe Looking to Bring His Playoff Style of Hockey in First Postseason Game
When Jake McCabe was traded by the Chicago Blackhawks to the Toronto Maple Leafs in February, he was excited about what was coming in April.
Now in his tenth NHL season, the Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman is going to play in his first Stanley Cup Playoffs game on Tuesday when his club hosts the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of the first round.
"That’s why you play the game," McCabe said following his team's final practice before the game. "Some guys don’t understand that it’s not as easy as just coming into the league. When you get opportunities to play in the playoffs. A lot of it depends on the situation you’re in and lucky enough right now I’m in the situation I’m in now and lucky they brought me in to be a part of this."
McCabe spent his first eight seasons with the Buffalo Sabres, the team that selected him in the second round (44th overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft. The club never made it into the postseason during McCabe's run (and still hasn't since). In 2021, McCabe signed a four-year, $16 million contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. But after a rough start to the 2021-22 campaign, the club entered rebuild mode and McCabe was missing the playoffs for the ninth-straight year.
The 29-year-old says he has been able to watch the playoffs over the last few years. But admitted in earlier years he couldn't do it.
"Maybe I was bitter," McCabe said. "But I knew an opportunity was going to come."
That came knocking in February when the Maple Leafs were looking to add a defenseman who could play top-four minutes. Having lost Jake Muzzin earlier in the season due to a cervical spine issue, the Maple Leafs appeared to be resigned to replacing Muzzin by committee.
But on Feb. 28, the Maple Leafs acquired McCabe, along with forward Sam Lafferty and a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft in exchange for forwards Pavel Gogolev, Joey Anderson, a conditional 2025 first-round pick and a 2026 second-round pick. The Leafs also got the Blackhawks to retain 50 percent of McCabe's $4 million cap hit, which is on the books until the end of the 2024-25 season.
One day later, the Maple Leafs acquired defensemen Erik Gustafsson and Luke Schenn to bolster their depth, but it's McCabe who has been an everyday top-four defenseman. He's fit in well with TJ Brodie and has helped in killing penalties. He's brought his size to add to the team's new physical style of play while also being able to move the puck forward.
McCabe has been everything the Maple Leafs want from a playoffs defenseman. He just hasn't experienced that yet.
The Maple Leafs have been firmly planted in a playoff spot matchup with the Lightning for much of the regular season by the time McCabe joined the club, there weren't a lot of games to get up for.
But he did point out a couple of games.
On Mar. 15 at home against the Colorado Avalanche and Apr. 6 against the Boston Bruins, the Maple Leafs played against two top NHL teams where there wasn't a lot of offense generated by either side. Both teams kept chances at a minimum, and that is McCabe's specialty.
"There’s not a lot of opportunity in the slot and you don't want to give the other team a lot of opportunity in the slot," McCabe explained. "Just keep the puck on the outside and capitalize on the chances when you get them.
"That’s kind of my forte and enjoy doing really is keeping the puck out of the net."
Toronto had little concern about McCabe's lack of playoff experience when adding him. Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas pointed out that he spoke to former Leafs defenseman Ron Hainsey who also went a long time without playing in the postseason before he was asked to play an elevated role with the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2017 Stanley Cup run.
"The truth is you don't know (until it happens)" Dubas said.
But the Leafs are surrounded by playoffs experience this year at every position and now they have another top-four defenseman who is built for it.
"He’s not afraid of anything," Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said of McCabe. "There’s a lot of reasons to go out and be confident with that swagger and compete and he’s excited to play at the most exciting time of the year."
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