Best Value Contract on the Leafs Defense
Jake McCabe The bruising blue-liner is easily the best bargain among the Maple Leafs defensemen. McCabe is in the last year of a deal that pays him $4 million annually. That cap hit ranks 85th among NHL defensemen.
For that low number, the Leafs have a top-four defenseman, who logs twenty minutes per game, provides thunder (219 hits last season), and is relied on for critical, defensive zone starts.
He can also play both sides of the ice, and is only limited by being a below-average puck mover, something that shouldn't be such a problem this season, as the Leafs have addressed that deficiency.
Only thirty years old, the Maple Leafs would do well to be proactive and try to sign him to an extension before he hits free agency next summer, although good luck getting anywhere close to the current value.
Jake McCabe is on one of the best contracts in the NHL, and the trade that brought him to the Leafs was one of the best they've made in years.
Unfortunately, this is the only value contract on the Leafs blue-line, other than the possibility of a major breakthrough from Liljegren or a rookie making the team in training camp.