Teams wanted Jake McCabe at the deadline: the Leafs may have been selling the wrong players the whole time
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
For all the talk about Oliver Ekman-Larsson at the deadline, it was Toronto's Jake McCabe who was actually the target most teams were interested in bringing aboard.
The Maple Leafs were busy at the deadline, but it sounds like they were open for as much business as possible with names like Matthew Knies coming up in trade discussions which made it feel like everyone was on the table when it came to the chopping block.
Friedman says McCabe was asked about at the deadline
Elliotte Friedman explained on the Real Kyper and Bourne Show that Toronto was listening to offers on the majority of their roster and that teams were targeting their top shutdown defender in Jake McCabe:
I think by the end they had almost everybody out there; I heard this week they were like, if you wanna call us with an idea, we'll listen; I would think they got calls about guys like Jake McCabe.
McCabe as a target makes a ton of sense for contenders. In 62 games he's put up 19 points (3 goals, 16 assists) while adding 146 blocks, 85 hits, and a plus-8 in a team-leading 22:21 TOI.
Toronto didn't trade away any defencemen this deadline even though Oliver Ekman-Larsson was expected to be dealt, and Brandon Carlo was a potential backup plan for teams needing a right-handed blueliner.
Why keeping McCabe helps, not hinders, the rebuild
If Toronto is going through with a rebuild, then keeping McCabe does a lot more good than harm, especially if they are adding a younger d-corps.
Chris Tanev is still an unknown, Morgan Rielly may be traded at some point this summer, Troy Stecher is a UFA and we still don't know where Simon Benoit and Philippe Myers sit in the team's future plans.
Suddenly that leaves Toronto with McCabe and Carlo as their only solid options, and if the youth movement is coming in; there's not really anyone better to help them (barring Tanev's return next season).
Signed on a bargain deal until 2030, McCabe was a steal for the Maple Leafs when they acquired him as they only had to pay a couple mid-tier prospects and two draft picks but the price has already paid for itself.
He's a leader on and off the ice, he's tough as nails and adds a much needed aggressive edge to an otherwise fairly passive team. There's no negatives to keeping him in the lineup, and you'd be hard pressed to replace him elsewhere.
But that value is exactly why he could have fetched a massive return.
Did Brad Treliving dangle the wrong defender to teams?
But knowing that if teams were interested in McCabe, maybe Brad Treliving was too eager to shut down any talks.
That could come back to bite him. A deadline deal for Justin Faulk brought in four pieces including a first and third-round pick. It's actually quite a similar package to McCabe, and with his value even higher than before -- he could have gotten a lot more.
A realistic package that includes a couple of first and second-round picks, an NHL-ready prospect and a future top-four defenceman would immediately help accelerate the retool and give the Maple Leafs a head start on turning things around.
Toronto was already in the midst of a losing season and needs to look at their rookies more. They have some interesting defensive prospects that are blocked, and a McCabe trade would have transitioned them in quicker.
With fans clamouring for real change at the trade deadline, this was Brad Treliving's only chance by dealing Jake McCabe and decided against it which won't help his dwindling reputation.
Also read on Hockey Patrol :
Maple Leafs rejected Montreal Canadiens' trade offer for Matthew Knies: 'It's a business'
Maple Leafs rejected Montreal Canadiens' trade offer for Matthew Knies: 'It's a business'
Previously on Hockey Patrol
| POLL | ||
MARS 10|903 ANSWERS Teams wanted Jake McCabe at the deadline: the Leafs may have been selling the wrong players the whole time Would you rather have Jake McCabe or Oliver Ekman-Larsson? | ||
| Jake McCabe | 387 | 42.9 % |
| Oliver Ekman-Larsson | 516 | 57.1 % |
| List of polls | ||