Sheldon Keefe revealed on Saturday that McCabe wasn't pleased with his play last year in the postseason and promised he would be better.
Sheldon Keefe revealed on Saturday that McCabe wasn't pleased with his play last year in the postseason and promised he would be better.
The Maple Leafs knew what they were getting when Jake McCabe arrived in Toronto: A tough and rugged defenseman who will do everything he can to throw his opponent off their game.
Throughout this series against the Boston Bruins, you can see that the 30-year-old is living up to the hype. You're also witnessing him get stronger and stronger. McCabe is averaging nearly 21 minutes of ice time per game, playing alongside Simon Benoit.
The pair has played the most minutes at five-on-five this series at 73:41, 20 seconds more than the Morgan Rielly and Ilya Lyubushkin duo. McCabe and Benoit have a 52.57 xGF% at five-on-five, the second-best of the Maple Leafs' three pairs in the playoffs, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
Individually, though, McCabe has the second-best expected-goals-for percentage of all Toronto's defensemen at 56.82, per NaturalStatTrick.com. He also scored a massive goal for the Maple Leafs in Game 5 which helped jumpstart their comeback in the series.
"Yeah, he's been tremendous. I think he's gotten better as the series has gone along here. Obviously been extremely physical, scored us a massive goal in here in game five to get us going. Leadership in a way that you can tell he's just far more comfortable, not just in the playoffs, but within our team," said Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe ahead of Game 7.
"You know, a guy obviously comes over at the trade deadline last season, and not only is he playing the playoffs for the first time, but he's still the still the new guy in lots of ways. But I think he really feels a big part of our group now, which he certainly is. And with that, his leadership has really stepped up and his overall confidence has improved."
McCabe has faced some of the most difficult matchups in this series, and will again on Saturday night. Facing the toughest opposition, though, is an area the defenseman flourishes in.
However, that wasn't the case in the playoffs last year when Toronto eliminated the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games before going out in five games to the Florida Panthers.
McCabe wasn't happy with his play. He truthfully shared that with Keefe when their season concluded.
"He was very open with me when the playoffs ended last year, how disappointed he was in himself, but also just how, I can't remember the exact term he used, but essentially say how surprised he was at how hard the playoffs were compared to the regular season that he had expected it and all of that," Keefe said.
"But to be on the ice and in the moment is — he found it as a big jump, despite the fact he's a veteran guy and he's played in the league a long time. He found that to be a big jump. So, you know, he vowed to be better the next time around. And having learned from that, and he certainly is delivered to this point."
One of the areas where McCabe's improved most is in his shot-blocking. The defenseman only blocked three shots through 18 playoff games last year, the lowest among Maple Leafs defenders last playoffs, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
Through six games this year, McCabe has blocked eight shots and is tied with Joel Edmundson for second-most on the team, according to NaturalStatTrick.com. Morgan Rielly leads all Maple Leafs defensemen with nine blocked shots in this series.
Game 7 will be the toughest task of all for both teams. The series will end on Saturday night with the team who wants it more getting on a plane to Florida on Sunday. McCabe is focused on doing everything he can defensively to help push Toronto over the edge and into the second round.
"That’s what defence comes down to whether it’s regular season or playoffs is oftentimes the more desperate individual is going to win that puck battle," he said on Saturday morning. "We’ve been coming up with more of them and it’s only get harder tonight."
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