Buffalo Sabres Jake McCabe Should Start In 2016-17 If Roster Stands Pat

We all know the Buffalo Sabres are looking for a top-4 LHD, but all is not lost if they cannot get one this summer.

It is no secret that the Buffalo Sabres are looking for a top-4 defenseman who can quarterback the power play and the blueline in general, and with the lack of left-handed shots on the current roster, one would imagine that Buffalo’s front office is looking for an LHD to pair alongside Rasmus Ristolainen.

The best case scenario for fans is that the Sabres either trade for such a player or make a run at an RFA such as Hampus Lindholm over the summer, which ought to instantly improve the team’s odds of making the playoffs in 2016-17.

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Should the Sabres fail to bring in an established LHD to pair with Risto, however, current LHD Jake McCabe can certainly be trusted to assume a starting role for the Sabres as they attempt to return to the promised land.

For starters, the Sabres still have an in-between year in their rebuilding time table.  Yes, it would be nice for the team to make the playoffs in 2016-17, but too many of the core players are still in the toddler stage, as far as their NHL careers are concerned.  Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, Ristolainen, Hudson Fasching, Zemgus Girgensons and McCabe are all 22 years of age or younger, so expecting those players to be able to handle the pressure of fighting for a playoff spot in March and April is unrealistic.  If Buffalo is still within striking distance of making the playoffs come next February, mission accomplished!   That is probably the best case scenario for this team, and given that, McCabe would benefit greatly from the experience gained from playing with the starting unit during a high-intensity playoff push.

Second: McCabe is good. Maybe you spent the last two weeks completely ignoring what was happening at the Ice Hockey World Championships in Russia, but McCabe has been logging some big-time minutes for the US squad, and was named one of the team’s top-3 players by the coaching staff:

No, McCabe’s offensive numbers – 1 assist, 1 goal in 7 games played – are not enough to make anyone think that he is the puck-handling blueliner the Sabres absolutely need to quarterback the power play, but unless the Sabres go out and get such a player this summer, I would rather see McCabe play alongside Ristolainen than Josh Gorges.  After all, McCabe’s offensive production was better than that of Gorges, and McCabe has anchored the blueline for a ridiculously young Team USA that has advanced to the bronze-medal game of the IIHF World Championships.  And it’s not like he was playing junior-level hockey; there are plenty of season NHL veterans skating in the World Championships, so if McCabe earned a top-3 vote from Team USA coaches against that level of talent, he’s earned the starting job in my book.

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None of this is to say that McCabe is the starting LHD of the future – I agree with Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray when he says the team really needs a blueliner who can be the quarterback out there, and I’m not  convinced that McCabe is that kind of player.  However, NHL teams still need defensemen who can, you know, D-up, and Jake McCabe is going to be a rock for Buffalo for what I hope is a long time.  Unless GMTM can snag a top-4 LHD during the offseason, McCabe has both earned and will greatly benefit from starting for the Sabres in 2016-17.