With just three weeks to the NHL Trade Deadline, trade talk is going to heat up around the league and in Chicago, where the Blackhawks are sellers, they’ll be a popular team. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun offered an update on one of the defensemen insiders will be keeping an eye on and that’s Jake McCabe, who LeBrun reports is garnering trade interest.
He writes: “Jake McCabe is drawing steady interest from contenders. Signed for 2 more years after this season at a $4M AAV. Sense from sources around the league is that the asking price from Blackhawks includes a 1st-RD pick. And if Hawks retain salary making him a $2M player, price increases…”
This is a steeper price than many thought the Blackhawks might want to move the d-man, but with no big-name defenseman having moved yet this season and with the first-rounders going in both the Bo Horvat and Vladimir Tarsenko trades, it’s not hard to see why the Blackhawks might be asking for a big haul, especially for a player with term who is on a reasonable contract already. If a team wants the Blackhawks to bring that salary down so that McCabe becomes an absolute steal, it’s going to cost a hefty price. As Mark Lazerus writes, “Two-plus years of Jake McCabe at $2M could indeed be worth a lot.”
McCabe has a seven-team no-trade list and there was chatter that both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers were perhaps looking at this player. He’s strong in the defensive zone and would be a top-four blueliner on a contending team.
The same teams that were interested to be looking at McCabe were probably also looking at Jakob Chychrun. But, with Chychrun’s cost being so high, McCabe was likely viewed as a solid Plan B. Now, if his price is going up and it could take more than a first-rounder to acquire him, perhaps Chychrun becomes a more attractive piece again.
More must-reads: