Jake McCabe’s steadiness driving quietly strong season for Blackhawks

Jake McCabe has been the reliable, smart, effective defensive defenseman with a touch of offensive ability this season that the Blackhawks thought they were getting last season.

The ironic part is McCabe has become the right player at the wrong time.

When ex-Hawks general manager Stan Bowman signed McCabe to a four-year contract in 2021, he thought the former Sabre would play a big part in the Hawks’ defensive stabilization. But McCabe — still hampered by the shoulder that had undergone surgery the winter before — struggled mightily out of the gate, along with the rest of the team, and never really found his rhythm.

Now under GM Kyle Davidson, McCabe’s age (29) and term (2.5 years left under contract) no longer fit the organizational timeline, especially with so many prospect defensemen pushing toward the NHL.

But McCabe has nonetheless finally settled into the role Bowman imagined him filling. He has arguably been the Hawks’ best player this season.

And he produced one of his best performances in the Hawks’ 2-0 shutout win Friday over the Coyotes, even beyond his 89 mile-per-hour slapshot goal.

“Watching him in the third period, making street-hockey [style] kick saves in front of the goalie, he’s a warrior,” coach Luke Richardson said. “He’s not afraid to put his body on the line for the team. It was great to see him get rewarded on the offensive side, but [it was] just a real good complete game by him and Seth [Jones]. They were both excellent tonight.”

Putting McCabe with Jones, who may not be quite deserving of his 2023 NHL All-Star selection but is unquestionably a good player, has proven to be a wise move. Both have benefited from getting away from Jack Johnson.

“Me and Seth as of late, as a pair, have been playing pretty solid,” McCabe said. “We played really well [Friday]. We moved pucks quickly, we didn’t spend too much time in our ‘D’-zone and we were just solid throughout the game, with good gaps reading off each other. [We’ve been] getting more comfortable with each other the last couple weeks.”

McCabe mentioned his gap control again in a follow-up question about what has contributed most to his success this season, and he’s absolutely correct about that.

The Hawks are generally atrocious at defending their own blue line, but McCabe’s physicality, strong positioning and awareness of his partner’s positioning make him the lone exception. He’s the only Hawks defenseman who grades out above-average in both total zone entry targets and zone entries allowed leading to scoring chances, per data from All Three Zones.

Meanwhile, his 44.6% expected-goals ratio and 42.8% scoring-chance ratio at five-on-five may not look pretty, but he’s the best Hawks defenseman in both those categories, too. Plus, he also not only leads the Hawks but entered Saturday tied for ninth in the NHL with 83 blocked shots.

“He’s [even] blocking shots when the game is out of reach with a minute to go,” Richardson said. “And he’s doing it either way, if we’re down three goals or we’re up four.”

Offensively, McCabe’s 10 points now rank second among Hawks defensemen, behind only Jones. He’s cautious about pinching, but he typically makes a positive impact when he does. Since the Hawks’ early-December win at the Rangers, a game in which he was very active in the ‘O’-zone, he has been doing that more.

And although plus-minus is a flawed stat, the fact he sports a plus-three rating on a team with a minus-59 goal differential is so absurd that it’s worth noting.

“I try to be the leader on the back end,” he said. “Really, that’s what I’ve been focusing on all year: being steady and confident. Just keep the good things going when they’re going good.”

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