On Wednesday’s episode of Real Kyper and Bourne Show, NHL analyst Nick Kypreos revealed that he believes that the Toronto Maple Leafs are close to signing defencemen Jake McCabe to an extension. He also indicated that the negotiations may lead to the deal being done before the start of the season on Oct. 9, 2024.
“The one thing I did hear is potentially a Jake McCabe extension coming, maybe before the season starts,” Kypreos said. “I heard talks were real good. Now, still maybe debatable on how much term and maybe that still might fluctuate the AAV. But I’m thinking right now that he’d have no problem right now next season making $30 million over six years.”
Related: Maple Leafs’ Way-Too-Early 2025 Forward Trade Targets
Early in September, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast that the Maple Leafs and McCabe had been working towards a new deal.
“I believe they’ve had some conversation with Jake McCabe about extending him,” Friedman said. “I think he’s perfect for them. I think he’s exactly the kind of player they need. I don’t know where this is going to go, but I do believe they’ve had some conversations about extending McCabe. We’ll see.”
Talks between McCabe and the Maple Leafs appear close. The hope is that the contract will be signed before the start of the season. However, before that, let’s look into why it’s important for the Maple Leafs to extend McCabe.
Maple Leafs Need McCabe
When the Maple Leafs acquired the 30-year-old from the Chicago Blackhawks at the 2022–23 trade deadline, every member of Leafs Nation was excited. He brings a hard-nosed, physical presence that the team lost when Jake Muzzin suffered a neck injury, which ended his career. McCabe came to Toronto on a retained deal by the Blackhawks, which brought his cap hit down from $4 million to $2 million. This has allowed the organization to rebuild the blue line and bring in similar-style players (Chris Tanev, Simon Benoit) like himself while having McCabe on the books for a very manageable price.
McCabe has been the stabilizing force on the back end for the Maple Leafs since his arrival. He and Benoit were arguably the best pairing on the team last season. This season he will be used in the same situations, such as the top penalty kill (PK), closing out games, and matching up against the opponent’s best players. He’ll also go to the dirty areas in the corners, clearing out the front of the net, throwing the body, and sticking up for his teammates. With the offseason additions of Tanev and Jani Hakanpaa (when he is healthy), McCabe will still be relied on but won’t need to carry the burden of being the only shutdown defenceman on the team.
McCabe Wants to Stay
McCabe talked about his love for the city and team earlier in training camp.
“I love it here. I think they enjoy my game too,” McCabe said. “That’s why you have agents, and now it’s training camp time. I’m just looking forward to being with the fellas here and, like I said, ramping up our game and getting ready for the season.”
If the reports come to fruition and McCabe does sign an extension in Toronto, the deal suggested by Kypreos would make sense. McCabe makes $4 million per season, which means the reported deal of $5 million would give him a $1 million raise. The extension would also kick in next season, when the league salary cap is expected to increase by $4.5 million, which would give the Maple Leafs more cap space to work with.
