The Toronto Maple Leafs are loading up. After their big move earlier this month, they’ve pulled off another significant trade, acquiring Jake McCabe and Sam Lafferty from the Chicago Blackhawks. In return, the Maple Leafs will send a top-ten protected 2025 first-round pick, a 2026 second-round pick, Joey Anderson, and prospect Pavel Gogolev.
Chicago is retaining 50% of McCabe’s contract, and sending two conditional fifth-round selections to Toronto. If the 2025 first-round selection is in the top ten, Chicago will get Toronto’s 2026 first-round pick instead. CapFriendly reports that the 2024 fifth-round pick that is going to Toronto will be the lowest pick in that round the Blackhawks own at the time of the draft.
The biggest part of this deal for Toronto is the salary retention, as McCabe is not a typical rental. With two more years on his contract, the Maple Leafs will get a discounted defenseman for several playoff runs. His deal carries a cap hit of $4MM, meaning McCabe will cost Toronto just $2MM per season through 2024-25, the same amount as Justin Holl, who is currently scheduled for unrestricted free agency this summer.
McCabe, 29, has been rather productive for the Blackhawks this season, registering 20 points in 55 games—a pace that has him on track to blow past his previous career-high of 22 points. It’s not his offensive ability the Maple Leafs were targeting, though. McCabe instantly becomes the team’s most physical defender, and should help the penalty kill with his long reach, strength in front of the net, and willingness to block shots.
Lafferty is not just a throw-in, either. The 27-year-old forward is having a career year with Chicago, scoring ten goals and 21 points in 51 games. He too, is a physical upgrade for the Maple Leafs, giving them a pretty significant depth chart for the bottom six. With Lafferty and Noel Acciari now in place, the team has added two right-handed faceoff options that can be used on the penalty kill and in the defensive zone to go with their stable of left-shot centers.
It’s a pretty impressive haul for Toronto over the last few weeks, especially when considering they didn’t give up a single roster player. But there is real risk in moving so many draft picks when your group has zero playoff success to show for it to this point. Even McCabe, who seems like he would excel in the postseason, has never actually played in a playoff game nearly a decade into his NHL career.
If the Maple Leafs are bounced again, some painful years could be ahead. But for now, general manager Kyle Dubas is willing to put it on the line and give this group the best chance possible.
One thing to note is that with the addition of McCabe and Lafferty, the Maple Leafs no longer have the cap space to activate goaltender Matt Murray from long-term injured reserve. That was expected to happen in the next few days, meaning either another player will be shipped out, or some other transaction will be made to clear cap.
Welp we’re all in folks
Vegas, Tampa, and Toronto competing to have as few 1sts as possible:
Don’t forget Florida after last year as well.
The East is going to be fun
Toronto
NY
NJ
Tampa
Have all added significant pieces
Boston
Carolina
Still loaded and top teams
Playoffs are gonna be great
Boston loaded up too. No question it’s going to be a dogfight for the conference title.
Imagine if Toronto does lose their 8th straight 1st round playoffs series.
It’ll be down to 1 year with their big 3 with pay raises in store for Matthews & Marner.
So who goes and what is the sweetener used to take said player(s) for cap relief?
How is it that the author of the article has nothing to say about how this deal affects the Blackhawks?
I won’t speak for the author, but the players appear to be minor additions.
Anderson should get some run on Chicago’s 4th line this year and is arb eligible as a RFA this summer. Could be a decent bottom-6 energy player for a rebuilding club.
Gogolev is tearing it up in the ECHL but is probably a B-prospect at best.
And the draft picks will be *shakes magic 8-ball*…
He is not a writer who generates his own thoughts. He rewrites stories and probably saw it on a Leafs cheerleading site. Sam Lafferty is not going to play any significant role.
Will be interesting to see what role Lafferty does play, I hope he can help on that bottom line a maybe the pk.
Dubas knows this is his last chance of the Leafs don’t make a deep run. They have given up a lot of futures so anything short of a cup is going to hurt long term. Draft Schmaft lives on in Toronto.
it could hurt long term, but there is also likely a thought that if they don’t hit this year a new GM may decide to just move a Nylander, Marner, Matthews before their deals are up and that will restock the cupboard pretty quickly.
but yes this is an all-in season for the leafs. next year will be interesting because they will have to decide on Marner and Matthews.
I honestly don’t think it’s a make it or break it year for Dubas. Although the pressure is immense and we are all in no doubt, Dubas is a great gm and young hockey mind. I think he will still be around even if we get bumped in the 1st round….again. But something in the organization will have to change if we do get bounced
I did not realize that none of those guys have any sort of trade protection. I can totally see this thing being torn apart in the off season if it doesn’t work this year.
Dubas is a free agent this year
I have a hard time believing Dubas makes this deal thinking he’s going to be around when those picks are to be used.
Well, no kidding. Fact of life in the NHL these days. If I was a GM, I wouldn’t make any deadline deals trading a first rounder for a rental unless I could legitimately answer the question “Is this deal what’s going to help us win the Cup?” with “Yes.”
And then the fans would be screaming for my head because I Didn’t Improve The Team, and I’d be fired.
it’s likely he would rather have to figure out how to deal with a future mess than not have a job.
neither of McCabe or Lafferty are rentals
Well Stan Bowman is available.
Whoever hires him when he’s reinstated should expect Stan to trade for Seth Jones. The trade won’t hurt the Leafs unless they completely bottom out. The 2023 draft is a one timer due to covid-19 holding back prospects.
here comes the kerfoot, Holl and a 3rd rounder for Schenn rumors
Cliff Fletcher must be consulting on these deals. Draft smaft
Leafs would have better off with tanner Jeannot. He is what they need more. Wonder if leafs move kerfoot very unlikely to be there next year regardless of what happens this season.