Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – A lot is being made about whether Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, Rasmus Ristolainen or Linus Ullmark will be with the Buffalo Sabres come next season.
However, nobody is talking about Jake McCabe.
Before he was injured, McCabe was playing his best hockey as a pro being paired with Ristolainen.
In February, McCabe had surgery to repair his ACL, MCL and meniscus in his knee. The recovery time was put at six-to-eight-months. After the season was over, he said that things are moving ahead very well.
“The injury rehab is going great. Everything is going on as planned," the veteran defenseman said during his end-of-season conference call. "I haven’t been in pain the entire time, and it's been feeling great throughout the whole process. So I have zero doubts about moving forward, and I know I’ll be ready to rock for next season. I plan on getting out on the ice as soon as July.”
McCabe is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 28. While free agency is still more than two months away, he is in no rush to make a decision on his future.
“I will continue to have discussions with [general manager] Kevyn [Adams] leading up to free agency. I’m just taking everything day-by-day,” McCabe said.
McCabe only played 13 of the Sabres' 56 games this season because of the knee injury and COVID-19. He said it was an interesting year.
“I had COVID, and then just a few games after that the injury occurred. It sucked," McCabe said. "I gave myself that night to have tough conversations with my mom, wife and dad and after that, I told myself that being sad and mad about this isn’t going to make myself better.”
The Sabres have come in last place in the NHL four of the past eight years. McCabe has been here for seven of them, and he’s known nothing but really bad losing since entering the NHL.
“It’s tough," McCabe said. "I didn’t play under 'Donnie' [interim head coach Don Granato], but he would’ve been my fifth coach here, which is unfortunate for sure."
The Sabres were 5-6-2 when McCabe played, and then three games after he was injured, the 18-game losing streak started.
“I have a little different perspective than the other guys, because I wasn’t really around the team the first few weeks after the injury amidst the losing streak. So I can’t really comment on the environment in the room," McCabe said. "That kind of stuff is really frustrating, but it’s out of your control as a player.
“When [head coach] Ralph [Krueger] and 'Smitty' [assistant coach Steve Smith] got let go, it was a sad day for myself, because I really enjoyed those two and I think they made me a better player and person. With that being said, I think 'Donnie’s' done a great job with this group. It's been great to see guys thrive in their rolls.”
McCabe knows that the Sabres haven’t been able to get things right in over 10 years. He said that will be part of his decision moving forward.
“It’s an important conversation that I will have with Kevyn," McCabe said. "I think Kevyn has done a great job this year given the circumstances. I think as a first time [general manager], he’s handled himself well. I’ve really enjoyed my time with him so far."
McCabe was asked with having COVID-19 did it make him more susceptible to injury. It was certainly an interesting discussion.
“I told my trainers I’d be curious what the total number of man games lost across the league and the type of injuries that were occurring, because I definitely think there’s more to it because of the schedule," McCabe debated.
“I truly think that COVID played a role in my injury. When you look at the play, it's something I’ve done thousands and thousands of times, rubbing a guy out in the corner. I lost five to seven pounds during my COVID, and I skated twice and I was back playing. So all it takes is those small percentage points, two-to-three percent weaker, then all of a sudden something like this game happens. That frankly pisses me off. This COVID sucks and it still sucks, but we’re getting back to some more normalcy.”
McCabe, like Sam Reinhart, has never been able to get a long-term deal from the Sabres. He’s had two three-year deals before signing his current contract of two years, paying him an average of $2.85 million.
In case you missed it, you can listen to McCabe's entire conference call below:
