Sabre Noise
Fansided

Buffalo Sabres Players: Jake McCabe Belongs In The NHL

By Jacob D. Strozyk

facebooktwitterreddit

Currently, the Buffalo Sabres are in the hunt for a let handed shot defenseman, and it seems like Tim Murray is missing the best option he has sitting right in front of him. Americans defender Jake McCabe had a stellar season last year and plays the kind of game that Murray wants.

Related – Chad Johnson Is A Great Backup Goaltender

Jake McCabe is a former second round pick in the 2012 NHL entry draft  by the Buffalo Sabres and he has gone through the development process very well. He has taken everything that he was told to do in and made the most of his opportunities. Last season was his first year playing full time in the AHL and he was at the top of the Amerks scoring list.

Being tied for 6th place on the Americans scoring list with Dan Catenacci (29 points) is not a bad showing for a two way style defenseman. McCabe played 68 games last year for the Americans and he was a key part of their shutdown line. He logged both power play time and penalty kill time to hone his rounded game, and honestly he has earned a real shot at the NHL level.

More from Sabres News

One thing that Jake McCabe does better than anyone else on the ice is playing with a level head. You will rarely see him get flustered or frustrated, very similar to Mark Pysyk. McCabe is one of the more steady defenders that could be one the Sabres roster in the fall and both parties would benefit from him playing up there.

He is still a young player at the age of 21, but he has all the right tools to be a top six defenseman in the NHL right now. Even if he is used as the seventh defenseman and is rotated in and out evenly with Mike Weber, that would be a great idea. McCabe is the kind of player that will make a difference by doing all the little things. He has a defensive mind first, but he is not afraid to jump up into the offense at all.

In his development thus far, Jake McCabe has fine tuned his defensive responsibility first in order to speed up his development. As most people know, being a defenseman in the NHL is one of the most difficult things to do in the league. Having a sound defensive game is very tough considering the top level scoring talent that exists. McCabe has worked hard to have the defensive part of his game be the most important part.

That’s where he is a threat. He knows when he needs to hold back and play strict defense, but he is able to see when there is a scoring chance available up ice and he will do what is needed to make that chance happen. With more scoring support up front next season, this asset that McCabe possesses will be invaluable.

So the point is that Jake McCabe is the kind of player that Murray is looking for is his left hand shot defender, so I say to give him a shot.

Next: Do The Sabres Need An Enforcer?

More from Sabre Noise

Home/Sabres News