What To Do With Jake McCabe And His $4 Million Dollar Cap Hit

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Jared
May 27, 2022 (0:32)

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This past offseason during free agency, the Blackhawks signed free agent defenseman Jake McCabe to a 4-year contract worth 4 million dollars a season. With a cap hit that large, especially with the salary cap staying flat at $81.5 million, you would expect that contract to result in acquiring a solid defenseman. However, Jake McCabe has not performed at the level his contract is worth.

In his first season with the Blackhawks, McCabe tallied 22 points in 75 games played. An offseason knee surgery to repair an ACL and MCL injury hindered McCabe's play early in the season, as he was noticeably still trying to ramp himself back up to speed on the fly. The former 2012 2nd round pick never quite got comfortable in the Blackhawks system for the majority of the season. It is unclear whether McCabe just had a rough season, or if the bad defensive system under Jeremy Colliton had anything to do with his performance. Towards the tail end of the season, McCabe was starting to make some plays and shut down the opposition a little better but was still not playing at the anticipated level. McCabe ended the season with a career-worst +/- 27. After a terrible first season in Chicago, what should the Blackhawks do with him?

The most likely scenario is that McCabe stays in Chicago for at least one more season. It would be extremely difficult to move a 4-million-dollar contract for a defenseman who is playing like he belongs in Rockford. Any trade would most likely require a «sweetener» which would be in the form of a prospect or draft compensation to take on the bad contract. Since the Blackhawks are rebuilding, the days of throwing in draft pick compensation or prospects just to move a bad contract are over. The draft pick or prospect required to move the contract would be more valuable to the future of the franchise than it would be to clear the contract from the books entirely.

In the past, McCabe has had a decent track record and had found some success on a bad Buffalo Sabers team. With a new head coach on the horizon, McCabe could benefit the most from a new system and a fresh slate. The most obvious choice would be to keep him and see if his play improves to the level we all expected. McCabe simply needs to play better, and he should get the chance to prove his worth early next season. With a few young defensive prospects knocking on the door, the pressure will be on McCabe early to perform. Who knows, maybe he will have a great season and find himself in a position to chase a cup with a contender at the deadline. What do you think? Will McCabe bounce back?