Blackhawks activate veteran defenseman Jake McCabe

The Chicago Blackhawks are getting some veteran depth back on the blueline, activating Jake McCabe from injured reserve today. Recovered from cervical spine surgery that took place earlier this offseason, he’s expected to be in the lineup for the team tonight when they take on the Detroit Red Wings.

McCabe, 29, is one of the key pieces brought in during a 2021 offseason that ended up being too little, too late for the Blackhawks. The team struggled out of the gate, was embroiled in controversy, and quickly turned things over to general manager Kyle Davidson, who promptly started a full rebuild. The four-year, $16M deal that Stan Bowman handed to McCabe doesn’t seem very practical now, though he is at least still young enough to remain an attractive trade candidate.

That is, of course, if he’s fully recovered from the back surgery, which remains to be seen. The long-time Buffalo Sabres defenseman is known for his physical, all-out style, blocking shots and punishing attacking players with equal frequency. Last season for the Blackhawks he led the team in hits and was behind only Calvin de Haan in blocks, while also putting up a very solid 22 points, only trailing Seth Jones in offense from the defense.

If McCabe can get back to a strong level of play, it’s easy to wonder if he’ll be shipped off like the rest of the valuable chips in Chicago. He does hold a seven-team no-trade clause and has a back-loaded contract, but minute-munching defensemen like him are always in demand at trade deadline time.