Chicago Blackhawks' defenseman Jake McCabe has drawn significant interest around the league leading up to the NHL trade deadline, and the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers are among the teams most invested, per Frank Seravalli.
McCabe was recently ranked No. 7 on Daily Faceoff's Trade Targets board, and the 29-year-old left shot defenseman is on a reasonable $4 million deal with two seasons remaining.
The veteran is in his tenth season in the NHL, and has appeared in 473 games for the Buffalo Sabres and Blackhawks, including 45 games this year. He's scored 14 points and averaged just under 20:00 time on ice for the lowly Chicago squad.
“McCabe is a steady, reliable and predictable defender when healthy, which he has been for the bulk of his tenure in Chicago,” Seravalli writes. “Ideally, on a championship caliber roster, he will slot into the third pair and be a significant contributor to the penalty kill.”
McCabe is a great competitor, who never quits on plays and is always willing to lay it on the line for his team, a trait that made him a fan favorite in Buffalo. He's also a hard hitter and a veteran who can play important penalty killing minutes.
The Maple Leafs are looking to replace Jake Muzzin after the 33-year-old was shut down due to a scary cervical spine injury. He could slide in next to T.J. Brodie in what would be an excellent puck-moving pairing.
The Oilers have struggled on the back-end for years, and are in legitimate jeopardy of wasting Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl's best playoff years if they can't figure it out defensively. Team general manager Ken Holland knows this, and McCabe would be a perfect fit in Edmonton as a defensive anchor on a team that lacks just that.
Blackhawks' Jake McCabe has rounded into pre-injury form, and if a “win-now” team is willing to trade a first-round pick for his services, the Wisconsin native would be a massive addition to any squad looking to make a deep playoff run.
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