Moments ago, the Maple Leafs released details of another massive trade for the team, acquiring defenceman Jake McCabe and forward Sam Lafferty from the Chicago Blackhawks.
This comes just a week after the Leafs acquired Ryan O'Reilly and Noel Acciari from the St. Louis Blues, indicating that the Leafs are loading up in the eastern conference arms race to finally break through and make a long playoff push.
The Leafs will acquire McCabe for two years, and with Chicago retaining 50% of his contract, the Leafs will pay him only $2M each season. Lafferty is a pending UFA. McCabe will bring physicality and size to the Leafs blue line, helping to clear the net and disrupt the cycle, which was a clear need for the Leafs. Lafferty will serve as a utility forward likely throughout the bottom-six, and provide some more offence to the third and fourth line.
The Leafs will only part ways with a conditional first round draft pick, a second round pick, and two low-tier prospects in Joey Anderson and Pavel Gogolev. This trade is another home run for the Leafs, as their team has now become the best it's been in the modern era.
