Jake McCabe signs five-year deal with Maple Leafs, cementing Toronto's long-term defence plan
The average annual value of the defenceman's new contract is $4.51 million.
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Jake McCabe is the latest Maple Leafs defenceman to lay down some long-term roots in Toronto.
McCabe, who was approaching free agency next year on a $2-million US deal, has signed a five-year deal the club announced Monday morning before the Leafs played the Winnipeg Jets.
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Jake McCabe signs five-year deal with Maple Leafs, cementing Toronto's long-term defence plan Back to video
The average annual value of the contract is $4.51 million.
The 31-year-old Wisconsin native joined the Leafs in February of 2023 in a trade with Chicago. He joins Morgan Rielly, Simon Benoit and recently acquired UFAs Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson with long-term deals, all but Benoit signed through 2027-28.
The salary website PuckPedia broke down the contract to show a significant amount of the base salary is deferred to help the Leafs’ current cap situation.
McCabe would average just a bit more than Tanev, but less than Rielly’s $7.5 million. Jani Hakanpaa also came aboard this summer on a one-year deal, but he has been on injured reserved with lingering knee issues and has yet to play.
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McCabe told reporters in Winnipeg on Monday that when he first joined the Leafs and had to spend a month in Toronto alone while his wife and two children remained in Chicago, the organization’s support network helped convince him he wanted a long-term deal with the club. Contract talks started in the summer.
“We were very optimistic it would get done,” McCabe said. “I love this group in here. I believe that we can do special things. We’ve enjoyed our time in Toronto and to sign on for another five years is super exciting for us. It was a seamless transition from the get-go.
“Having a young family, stability was very important to me. I didn’t want my kids moving around a bunch later in my career.”
McCabe, a second-round pick (44th overall) of the Buffalo Sabres in 2012, collected eight goals and 20 assists in 73 games last season — his first full campaign in Toronto — ranking him behind only Morgan Rielly as a points-producer among Leafs defencemen. He was a career-best plus-20 and appeared in all seven playoff games against the Boston Bruins in last spring’s opening round.
The question mark on the blueline remains Timothy Liljegren. His new two-year deal at $3 million began this year, but he has been bumped from coach Craig Berube’s lineup for all but one game by Conor Timmins, who is on a one-year $1.1-million deal and will be a restricted free agent next season.
Trade speculation had grown around Liljegren as his salary would help accommodate Hakanpaa and others as they come off IR in the coming days.
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