Jake McCabe will be a Maple Leaf for the foreseeable future.
On Monday morning, the Leafs announced a 5-year, $23.5-million extension for the 31-year-old blue liner.
For our money, getting Jake McCabe for $4.51 million per season is a solid deal.
Naturally, that’s where the conversation started on the Monday edition of Leafs Morning Take. All in all, both Jay Rosehill and I were big fans of the contract. From the get-go, I maintained that the only way I’m extending McCabe in-season was if the dollar value made sense. Unequivocally, at that price tag, it made total sense for Brad Treliving and company to bite.
After that, we also debated Auston Matthews versus the field when it comes to the Rocket Richard Trophy race. Currently, New Jersey’s Nico Hischier leads the league with nine goals; Matthews has four. By his standards, it’s been a slow start. That said, we all know Matthews will erupt at some point. I fear for the rest of the National League.
Meantime, brought to you by Prime Video, we recapped Saturday night’s 4-3 OT loss in Boston. Logging a team-high 26:12 of ice, Mitch Marner led the way with three helpers —including a tasty dish to Auston Matthews to tie things up late in regulation. Of note, the Leafs power play stunk up the joint yet again. They’re now 3-for-30 on the season. In case you missed it, at the morning skate in Winnipeg, the Leafs showcased two scrambled up units. They’re finally going nuclear with it, which is the right call. Additionally, we also talked to some Phil Myers, who made his Leafs debut (-1, 12:11). Suffice it is to say, they haven’t handled the Timothy Liljegren situation particularly well.
Also, we previewed the big tilt in Winnipeg on Prime Monday Night Hockey. The Jets are on fire. They’ve won eight straight games to start the season. Speaking of which, Toronto’s played them tough recently. They won both meetings last season, and overall, they’ve won five in a row against the Jets.
At any rate, be sure to join us for the Tuesday edition of Leafs Morning Take for a full recap.
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