The Toronto Maple Leafs signed defenseman Jake McCabe to a five-year, $22.55 million contract extension on Monday. The deal, which starts next season, has an average annual value of $4.51 million. The 31-year-old defenseman is in the final season of a four-year, $16 million contract ($4 million AAV) he signed with the Chicago Blackhawks on July 28, 2021. He was traded to the Maple Leafs on Feb. 27, 2023, and was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
McCabe has three assists and is averaging 21:09 of ice time. The Wisconsin native leads Toronto with a plus-6 rating in nine games this season. McCabe had a career-high 28 points (eight goals, 20 assists) in 73 games with the Maple Leafs last season.
Drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the second round, 44th overall, in the 2012 NHL Draft, McCabe has 155 points (33 goals, 122 assists) in 586 regular season games with the Maple Leafs, Blackhawks and Sabres, and three points (one goal, two assists) in 18 Stanley Cup Playoff games. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound blueliner currently plays as a second-pair defenseman on a much-improved Maple Leafs defensive core.
