Chicago Blackhawks sign Jake McCabe to a 4-year contract

The Chicago Blackhawks have signed Jake McCabe to a 4-year, $16M deal with a $4M AAV.

Defenseman Jake McCabe signs a four-year contract with a $4 million cap hit with the Blackhawks.

— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) July 28, 2021

Jake McCabe was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the second round (No. 44) of the 2012 NHL Draft following his freshman season at the University of Wisconsin, where he had 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in 26 games.

A native of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, McCabe would play the following two seasons with the Badgers, including in 2013-14, when he had 25 points (eight goals, 17 assists) in 36 games and was named to the NCAA West First All-American Team.

The 6-foot-1, 204-pound defenseman signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Buffalo on April 2, 2014, and made his NHL debut the following day against the St. Louis Blues. He played seven games at the end of the 2013-14 season, getting one assist.

After playing most of the following season with Rochester in the American Hockey League, McCabe rejoined the Sabres in 2015-16, getting 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) and a plus-6 rating in 77 games.

His play earned him a three-year, $4.8 million contract ($1.6 million average annual value) with Buffalo on June 30, 2016.

McCabe upped his play in 2016-17, setting NHL career highs in assists (17) and points (20) in 76 games. He continued to be a mainstay on Buffalo’s back end, and in 2019-20 he had 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 66 games before the NHL paused its season on March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.