Jake McCabe is hopeful to sign a long-term extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs, as he says extension talks have begun.
McCabe is entering the final year of his four-year $16 million, and ahead of the season starting, the defenseman is hopeful to stay with the Maple Leafs for the foreseeable future.
“We’ve talked a couple (of) times. I love it here and I think they enjoy my game too,” McCabe said. “That’s why you have agents and now it’s training camp time, so I’m just looking forward to being with the fellas and ramping up our game… I love it here. Like I said, we’ve been chatting. We’ll see where things go.”
McCabe has been with the Maple Leafs since February 27 when he was traded by the Chicago Blackhawks. Since being acquired, McCabe has been a crucial member of the Leafs blue line.
The 30-year-old skated in 73 games recording 8 goals and 20 assists for 28 points last season with the Maple Leafs.
Insider Confirms Maple Leafs Have Interest in Re-Signing McCabe
McCabe saying extension talks have begun comes just weeks after NHL insider Elliotte Friedman said there is mutual interest in an extension getting done.
“I believe they’ve had some conversation with Jake McCabe about extending him,” Friedman said on his “32 Thoughts The Podcast”. “I’m a big McCabe fan. 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.”
McCabe is a defensive defenseman who is on the Maple Leafs’ third-pairing but can move up to the second-pairing late in games and in the playoffs. According to DailyFaceoff.com, McCabe is projected to be the right-shot defenseman with Oliver Ekman-Larsson on the second-pairing.
In his NHL career, McCabe has skated in 577 games recording 33 goals and 119 assists for 152 points.
McCabe Focused on Improving
McCabe is entering his 12th NHL season, and despite being a veteran, he’s still looking to get better.
Heading into the 2024-25 NHL season, McCabe says he wants to improve even more and become more of a leader on the blue line this season.
“Continue to improve. That’s been my goal every single year in this league. Body feels great,” McCabe said. “As you put the games together in this league, put yourself in more situations, you’re more comfortable every single year, especially as a defenseman. I want to just take another step as a leader on this team and just keep pushing us in the right direction.”
McCabe is already a leader for the Maple Leafs. Last season, he played with Simon Benoit quite often, and the defenseman praised the veteran.
“That would be great. I played with him pretty much all last year,” Benoit said after he was asked about McCabe wanting to re-sign. “He showed me some great things. You can see on the ice, how calm he is. He makes those little passes, a lot of little details. And he still plays that old-school game — physical, hard to play against, in your face. I think that’s what we need here, and he’s all about that. So, I would like to get him to stay, for sure.”
The Maple Leafs will open its 2024-25 NHL season on the road on October 9 against Montreal Canadiens.
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