LeBrun: Jake McCabe drawing steady interest from contenders, price is a 1st round pick

[The Nuge]

The problem is they need 2 for kane and Toews unless one said no to any trade.

as for McCabe…buyer beware…..players don’t suddenly get better in their late 20s. It’s all tied to system used and partner and responsibility.

on buffalo he was generally used as a mid pair D. He had stretches where he played well but it didn’t last a full season.

he could also be more motivated playing for the team he grew up a fan of living in the Midwest. If he’s traded he might not have that level of pride. With my team, buffalo, you could say similarly about Tuch playing fir the Sabres vs another team.

Not always. Cody Ceci got significantly better at 26/27. It’s not the norm, but it does happen

I wouldn't do 1st for him. Just because Habs suckered someone into giving a 1st for Chariot, other GMs want one for their bottom pairing D too. If we're giving up a 1st, I'd rather we aim higher.

Ya the price for these #4/5 dmen is absurd. It’s one thing if you’re getting a legit top 4 guy but Chiarot, Savard, McCabe etc aren’t.

A rental Ben Chiarot got an unprotected 1st. McCabe, especially with retention, is much more valuable than Chiarot. Thinking he might net a 1st is not ludicrous.

Chiarot and Savard getting a 1st should have smartened up these GMs, but we’ll see. McCabe’s extra year arguably harms his value (unless retained 50%) because he’s harder for a contender to fit in their cap structured, so I’m not sure I’d agree he’s more valuable let alone much more valuable. If they retain I could definitely see them getting the 1st

 

[belair]

McCabe @ 50% & Domi @ 50% for 1st & Sandin could be interesting, as an impartial fan

If Toews and Kane are moving also, you're not going to get retention on Domi.

 

[The Devilish Buffoon]

If Toews and Kane are moving also, you're not going to get retention on Domi.

Agreed, I just have my doubts that Toews will move. Market will be small

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Entirely way too much for an injury prone guy like McCabe. He’s solid, but Chicago is off their f***ing rocker and wants people to help them speed run a rebuild they should’ve started years ago.

With 50% retention he’s definitely worth a 1st. Even if you only get 60 games out of him a year. 19-20 minute quality defensive player at 2 million per year for the next couple seasons? That’s fine value.

 

[rt]

Oh look it’s this year’s Ben Chiarot.

 

[Space umpire]

I doubt they use 2 retention spots on one deal, could be wrong.

Chicago has no use for Sandin. They have several Dmen with high promise working their way up right now.
Chicago likely isn’t retaining both and possibly neither.

 

[GreatDayforHockey]

McCabe has never played a single Playoff game in either the AHL or NHL! No way he is fetching a 1st!

 

[Face Of Bear]

Guys Sandin is better than McCabe so get him tf out of your garbage proposals

McCabe ain't even better than our whooping boy Justin Holl.

 

[Drew Doubty]

People are questioning whether Luke Schenn could fetch a second and Mccabe's asking price is a 1st?

 

[Discipline Daddy]

This boards are nuts. Prices are insanely high for the flashier name players, but a 1st for a retained McCabe for this playoff run and then TWO years afterwards is too high? I'm not a Hawks fan at all. It's insanity to me that a team would consider paying a 1st for 2 months of Ryan O'Reilly but not a 1st for 2 years of a retained player who is the only everyday + player on a bad +/- team. I now want the Canes just to pay a 1st for McCabe just for the principle of the matter.

 

[KrakenSabresMike]

Ha media trying to drum up value that doesn’t exist again - and probably some one stupid will pay it. Will look great for Florida when 29 games of chariot becomes Connor bedard for Montreal

This boards are nuts. Prices are insanely high for the flashier name players, but a 1st for a retained McCabe for this playoff run and then TWO years afterwards is too high? I'm not a Hawks fan at all. It's insanity to me that a team would consider paying a 1st for 2 months of Ryan O'Reilly but not a 1st for 2 years of a retained player who is the only everyday + player on a bad +/- team. I now want the Canes just to pay a 1st for McCabe just for the principle of the matter.

But McCabe is a number 5 D on a good team - is that worth a 1st +???

 

[Discipline Daddy]

Ha media trying to drum up value that doesn’t exist again - and probably some one stupid will pay it. Will look great for Florida when 29 games of chariot becomes Connor bedard for Montreal


But McCabe is a number 5 D on a good team - is that worth a 1st +???

It is a good question but I think he could be a 2nd pairing guy on the right team. He's never played on a contending team and sometimes players in the right environment and given stability with a partner grow into their role and get better. I don't think McCabe is a Brady Skjei but everyone including me thought he was a huge defensive liability at 24 and now he's a legit top pairing guy in Carolina.

If he does remain a #5, and is retained, a reasonable/cheap #5 for that term is maaaybe worth a 1st.

I guess I'm coming at the angle that I think he could grow into a bigger role. If I'm a GM, I'm willing to take the risk on such a player.

 

[BKarchitect]

He’s been considerably better the Chiarot. Not as huge but tough and way less of a pylon from a mobility standpoint. He is a much better target than Chiarot for a playoff team. Big guys with low mobility get played off the ice in the playoffs.

I think the Hawks will have to retain to extract a late 1st but I think it’s definitely a possibility. If you can get him down to $2.5-3 million and have him for 3 playoff runs in what should be his prime years…for a guy who can give you a really solid 18-20 minutes a night with some versatility - that’s a nice slot to have some stability in. By this summer, an UFA similar to him is probably going to fetch $4.5x4 or something similar. If the Hawks retain you are buying cap flexibility not just a player.

 

[OTC]

McCabe @ 50% & Domi @ 50% for 1st & Sandin could be interesting, as an impartial fan

Hawks will retain for Toews Kane and Mcabe. If all 3 @ 50% they will be maxed out. I think if Kane and Toews are traded they go first.

 

[The Devilish Buffoon]

Hawks will retain for Toews Kane and Mcabe. If all 3 @ 50% they will be maxed out. I think if Kane and Toews are traded they go first.

I should have put this in the original post but I don't see Toews garnering enough interest, even at 50%, to justify trading.

 

[darrylsittler27]

Steady interest ? Doesnt mean a first from us. If Im Boston and its the last pick , sure. Toronto could go out first round again.

 

[CallMeShaft]

Steady interest ? Doesnt mean a first from us. If Im Boston and its the last pick , sure. Toronto will go out first round again.

FIFY

 

[Taylorst]

I just don't get the Toronto speculation unless a current dman is moved for a forward. Because as it is, the Leafs have 8 NHL dmen who have played at least 1 game in their top 4.

Rielly
Brodie
Gio
Liljegren
Sandin
Holl
Timmins

Everyone but Timmins has at least 15 games in the top 4 and all did absolutely fine. I think McCabe might offer a different look back there, but what Toronto needs is scoring from the backend IMO not more shutdown D. They already have Brodie, Gio, Liljegren, and Holl who are good defensively but not really giving much offensively.

I just don't get it.


]Absolutely god awful for the Leafs. Putrid.

Most teams that make a deep run and or win the Cup have a great defense and they usually get some offensive production or timely goals however unless you drafted a diamond in the ruff who is a future hall of fame player your not going to find a solid defenseman who is also dangerous in the offensive zone come trade deadline.
I'd always take a cheap solid shutdown defenseman before I'd gamble on a guy who has offensive production but lacks defense prowess

 

[JasonDemersWasOkay]

We’ll see if any teams have learned from Ben Chiarot

 

[Homesick]

If McCabe is in your top 4 you're contending for a lottery pick not the playoffs

 

[Mikitastan]

Let’s be real. McCabe is what he is. A very above average D on a bad team. To have 15 points and be plus 3 on the train wreck that is the Hawks is commendable. Yes, of course, there is the talk of when he was with Buffalo and had “ hot streaks”. Any team in the playoffs hopefully looks past the first round and gets tired of their star players selling out to win and let a guy like McCabe do it. That’s what you get a guy like him for.

 

[biturbo19]

If McCabe is in your top 4 you will be hoping for a lottery pick

I mean yes...McCabe is realistically a #4D. If you're a contending team, you want to push him down to that bottom-pairing, but have him in reserve to play up the lineup as injuries pile up over a long grueling playoff run. If he's on your 3rd pair, you're in great shape. I think that's probably what teams are mostly looking at. That guy who can play a bottom-pairing simple, responsible game. But when injuries hit...you can slide up to your Top-4 and can hold their own with a decent partner.


Often these end up big deadline acquisitions. Because they're easy to plug into an already good existing roster. You put them into the rotation of bottom-pairing defencemen and they don't change anything. But...unlike others, they can move up to do more than the other bottom-pairing fillers.

 

[Djp]

People are questioning whether Luke Schenn could fetch a second and Mccabe's asking price is a 1st?

i can see someone paying a 1st to get him at $2M for 2+ yrs. Having an experience Dman for a 3rd pair st $2M is a good deal.

they aren’t getting a 1st if no retention or taking a dump back.

Luke Schenn because of salary (1/5 of scheme) can have more bidders in the market which thrn drives the price to being 2nd+. They don’t need a 3rd team to retain on him like some teams will to fit in a more expensive D.

 

[LickTheEnvelope]

That seems about right. Only tough part on a McCabe vs Schenn comparison (for example) is Schenn costs basically no money and is a UFA so he is a pure rental. McCabe is a guy you would be bringing in to keep in a d-core for another year at least... probably on the left side of a 2nd pairing.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Oh, just wait. He always had those 30-40 game stretches in Buffalo too. The fall is coming.

McCabe was always just so regular in Buffalo -- ~40 games of quality play, ~25 games of "meh, fine" play and then 15 games of abject black hole of suck in all phases.

Maybe he has figured it out at 29