Maple Leafs Defenseman Will Prove Doubters Wrong This Season
The Leafs obtained Jake McCabe a few days before last season's deadline.
"We've acquired Jake McCabe, Sam Lafferty, a conditional 5th round pick in 2024, and a conditional 5th round pick in 2025 from Chicago in exchange for a conditional 2025 1st round pick, 2026 2nd round pick, Joey Anderson, and Pavel Gogolev" Now, a new development hints that he could finally have his breakout season.
McCabe to Have Breakout Season?
According to a projection, Jake McCabe could be on his way to the most successful campaign of his career.
As he's about to start his first full season as a Leaf, we can't imagine a boost in his production.
Playing with major offensive talents will only give him more occasions to write his name on the score sheet.
"When he joined the miserable Blackhawks, his numbers took a dive, as expected, but before that, he was a legitimate two-way force with a strong defensive profile.
A full offseason/season with the Leafs staff should get him back to that level, all for $2M for the next two seasons."
McCabe's Career
McCabe, 29, was drafted at the 44th overall rank in 2012 by Buffalo. Since then, the defenseman has played 504 games and scored 124 points for the Sabres, the Blackhawks, and the Maple Leafs.
He also took part in 11 playoff games, all with the Leafs last season. He only managed to score two assists against the Lightning and the Panthers, but he played a big role in the team's success in the first round.
As a defensive defenseman, point production isn't his greatest asset.
With 151 blocked shots in 76 games, McCabe ended the season at the 21st rank in the league for that category.
We all saw that blocking shots helps you win in the playoffs.
With two years left on his four-year deal at $4M AAV (50% retained by the Blackhawks), McCabe will certainly try to have the best season of his career in Toronto, and everything is set for him to do so.
POLL |
SEPTEMBRE 2 | 1312 ANSWERS Maple Leafs Defenseman Will Prove Doubters Wrong This Season Do you think Jake McCabe will have a breakout season next year? |
Yes | 924 | 70.4 % |
No | 388 | 29.6 % |
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