The Toronto Maple Leafs have several players worth watching this season. Players like Mitch Marner and John Tavares will steal the headlines with contract discussions.
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However, the Maple Leafs have revamped their defense, and there is a player they would like to keep around who they acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks back in 2023, defenseman Jake McCabe.
TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston joined Toronto Radio on Monday and was asked about the status of contract negotiations between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Jake McCabe. Johnston responded that it was status quo, but both parties wanted to get a deal done.
** NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Bryan Hayes: “What do you hear on Jake McCabe and the Leafs and his contract status moving forward?”
Chris Johnston: “Well, certainly there’s been a fair bit of discussion there about extending him. I mean, I don’t know that it needs to happen today, tomorrow, the next day. You know, he’s still got one more year until he’s unrestricted.
But you know, he’s a player they like, and I think there’s some potential danger with that contract, just because of his age and some of the others they have with players, they don’t want to go necessarily, too long. And so it’s about finding the sweet spot.
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But you know, last I heard, it didn’t sound like there was a massive gap, or anything like that, between what the Leafs were thinking and you know what might work for Jake McCabe. And so I would say, I guess stay tuned on that one.
But you know, certainly he wants to stay, and they want to keep them. And usually, when you have that kind of approach to negotiations, and you’ve got a pretty long runway here, I mean, it would totally natural to assume they’re going to be able to figure out.”