jake mccabe

As the offseason continues, there will be talks about young(ish) left handed defensemen that the Rangers might be targeting. Last offseason, there were rumblings of a Jimmy Vesey/Jake McCabe swap with Buffalo. Eventually, the Rangers sent Vesey to Buffalo for a 3rd round pick. The Jake McCabe to the Rangers rumors are sure to pick up again this offseason

On Ice Performance

The knock on McCabe through the years is that he is prone to major gaffes in his own zone. He appears to have fixed these issues, as his defensive numbers were pretty solid this year. The Sabres were much better defensively with McCabe on the ice, and those dark blue zones are where McCabe plays. That’s definitely a good thing.

The other thing McCabe has going for him is that he spent most of his time paired with Rasmus Ristolainen, who is pretty overrated as a defenseman. McCabe’s performance was significantly better away from Ristolainen than with him. Also Ristolainen’s performance tanked without McCabe. That’s important to know.

When McCabe was paired with Henri Jokiharju, he performed much better. It’s a fair assumption that based on the above, McCabe/Jokiharju should have been Buffalo’s top shutdown pair.

On special teams, McCabe is a huge defensive deterrent. The Buffalo penalty kill was far better when he was on the ice. All in all, McCabe’s play in his own zone alone is worth a look. As is his propensity to throw a big hit without being caught out of position.

McCabe also makes solid reads at the blue line. He has a fast enough first step that, while he isn’t lightning fast, he can create space after forcing turnovers.

The Concerns

McCabe, 26, has one year left on his deal at a $2.85 million cap hit. After which, he will become a UFA. Right there is a problem, as he doesn’t really fit in with the strategy of cost controlled players. McCabe will get more expensive, and he’s not exactly a top pairing defenseman either. He lacks the offensive ability and puck moving capabilities to be that top pairing guy.

If McCabe is going to get a big raise, close to $5 million a year, then you’d expect to see better xGF% numbers as well. Now it is certainly a fair statement that Buffalo wasn’t a good team last year. But it is also a fair statement that McCabe doesn’t drive offense, which severely limits his upside.

The limited offensive upside shows in his shot contributions and entry/exit stats. McCabe is middle of the road when it comes to passes leading to shots on net (Shot Contributions above). But he is downright terrible at controlling the puck to have successful zone exits in the defensive zone and controlled zone entries in the offensive zone. He’s truly a defensive zone only defenseman.

With McCabe set to get a raise after his contract is up, his next deal could be the killer. When spending that kind of money on a defenseman, getting a three zone player is an absolute must. McCabe is certainly a solid defender, but if he doesn’t do much else, then is he worth the kind of UFA contract he might get?

Jake McCabe would be a solid add for the Rangers, but the long-term fit might not be viable.

Charts from Hockeyviz, Charting Hockey, and CJ Turtoro.

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