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The Toronto Maple Leafs open their preseason against the Ottawa Senators on Sunday as a team with some new faces and players entering the final year of their contracts. Some like former team captain John Tavares have expressed an interest in re-signing and finishing his career in Toronto, while others like Mitch Marner attempt to squelch any mention of his contractual situation.
Jake McCabe’s situation has fallen below the radar because of those two names, but the soon-to-be 31-year-old defenseman has been a solid performer since being acquired from Chicago in 2023 and according to Sportsnet’s Luke Fox, his representatives and the Leafs have started to talk about a contract extension.
McCabe said he loves playing in Toronto and that there is mutual interest in getting something done. This is not a surprise, as Elliotte Friedman indicated after the season that the Leafs wanted to get the physical blueliner locked up. The issue as always with Toronto is cap space. The reason the deal with the deal cost former GM Kyle Dubas two premium draft picks (a 2025 1st, and 2026 2nd) was due to their retaining 50% of his $4 million cap hit for two-plus seasons.
Based on recent comparables like Dallas Stars defenseman Esa Lindell ($5.25 million AAV for three years), a multi-year extension is likely to cost the Leafs in excess of $5 million, which means GM Brad Treliving will have to cut costs in other areas.
Sophomore Matthew Knies is also entering the final year of his entry-level deal, and based on his first full year and the fact that he is slotting in on the top line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, the Leafs would be wise to be proactive and lock up the 21-year-old. The price of poker may have just gone up for Treliving, as a comparable young forward in Dylan Guenther signed an eight-year extension with Utah for $7.14 million AAV.
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The Leafs made five cuts to their roster on Saturday, sending forwards Sam McCue (Owen Sound), Maxim Muranov (Calgary), Miroslav Holinka (Edmonton), Marshall Finnie (Edmonton), and defenseman Nathan Mayes (Spokane) back to their junior clubs.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
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