McCabe gets new life in South Florida, leaves embattled Toronto

Bryan McCabe is about to find out what it feels like to be in a witness protection program.

That's the kind of anonymity hockey players have in Florida and it's not necessarily a bad thing for the veteran defenseman. McCabe could get a new lease on life now that he's been officially traded to the Panthers and out of the fish bowl that had been his existence for the last eight years with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

At the least the Panthers hope so.

Bryan McCabe brings experience to a Panthers team that has not made the playoffs since 2000. (Getty Images)

McCabe, 33, is one of the more talented offensive defensemen in the league, and along with earlier summer acquisitions Keith Ballard and Nick Boynton, joins a much improved back end in Florida that is shaping up to be the best part of a team aiming for its first playoff appearance since 2000. But McCabe is also coming off an injury-plagued season, which was the second of a five-year contract that pays him $29 million, and one that saw his skills called into question as he became the focal point of the misery that was the Maple Leafs campaign.

"It comes with the territory," McCabe said. "I do have a big contract, the team didn't live up to expectations and I took the brunt of it."

Not that it was all that unusual for McCabe, who because of a variety of on-ice gaffes, was often a whipping boy in Toronto after being traded there by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2000. McCabe may have been among the league leaders in scoring among defensemen in the three seasons before the last one, a Norris Trophy candidate and All-Star in 2004, and a member of Team Canada at the 2006 Olympics during his time with the Leafs, but after he scored a game-winning goal into his own net in the first month of play, the critics came out in full force and never relented.

It didn't help when he became one of the several high-profile players who refused to waive his no-trade clause at the deadline last February after it became clear the team was going nowhere and needed desperately to retool. By that time, there was little doubt that McCabe had worn out his welcome in Toronto.

"It's unfortunate how they tend to drive out skilled players in that city," said Panthers forward Wade Belak, who was traded to Florida by the Maple Leafs last February. "People there look at salaries and think, 'What have you done for me lately?' and if you don't do enough, you're gone.

"I think it will be good for him to get a fresh start. He's a great player who will add a lot and he'll enjoy coming down here and just worrying about playing instead of everything that comes outside of hockey."

That in itself will be a refreshing change for McCabe now that the deal has finally been completed. The pending trade, much like everything else concerning hockey in Toronto, had been an open secret for the better part of the summer, but was held up because the Panthers insisted on the Maple Leafs paying McCabe the $2 million bonus he was due Sept. 1 before completing the transaction.

"It's nice to have it done," McCabe said.

All in all, the same probably goes for the rebuilding Maple Leafs, who gave up a 2010 fourth-round pick, but acquired serviceable blueliner Mike Van Ryn in return and more important, dumped a cumbersome salary of a player who clearly wasn't part of their future plans. Van Ryn, who is four years younger than McCabe, might not be part of those plans for long either, but the deal does help interim GM Cliff Fletcher move closer to accomplishing what he set out to do when he took over from John Ferguson last January and began the process of blowing up the team.

Still the deal highlights just how poorly the Maple Leafs have managed themselves since the lockout. They've effectively paid McCabe to go away, much like they did earlier this summer by buying out Darcy Tucker and Andrew Raycroft, and in previous offseasons with Tie Domi and Ed Belfour. And aside from Van Ryn, they received nothing in return other than some salary cap flexibility. The team is about $10 million under the $56.7 million limit.

What is clear is that Toronto has overvalued its assets the last three seasons, and ended up getting burned badly by them. Once upon a time, the Maple Leafs could just buy their way out of trouble, but in the salary-capped world that is no longer an option making it likely there are several more long seasons in store for the franchise.

And for McCabe, who said he never wanted to leave Toronto that makes this the perfect time to leave.

"I loved my time in Toronto because there's no place like it in the hockey world, but I'm really excited about being in Florida," McCabe said.

"They've brought in a lot of young talent and I really truly believe they have an opportunity to absolutely make the playoffs and hopefully make a run for the ultimate prize. Hopefully me and the other new guys can help put them over the top."

Even if means getting noticed.