McCabe heading to Panthers…after he gets his cash

From TSN:

Bryan McCabe isn’t going anywhere – until the Toronto Maple Leafs pay him $2 million in an owed signing bonus on Sept. 1.

But, as soon as the Leafs make that payment to McCabe, sources close to the Leafs say he will become part of a trade with the Florida Panthers.

All the pieces of the transaction have reportedly been agreed upon – sources say the Panthers and Leafs have settled on the players involved and McCabe has indicated he will waive his no-movement clause to go to Florida – and the only reason to delay the transaction is to allow Toronto,  not the Panthers, to be on the hook for the signing bonus.

Read the entire report here.

Can’t blame McCabe for making the team wait until he gets his bonus.  He is entitled to that money and considering the way the team has tried to rid themselves of his services, he won’t be giving them any breaks. 

On the ice, McCabe should fit in nicely in Florida.  He will have far less attention and pressure on him in Sunrise, and that should do him some good.  He was unfairly criticized in Toronto for signing a contract he WAS OFFERED.  Even though he did make defense errors, his offensive skills are still in the upper-echelon of NHL defensemen and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him flourish in the South.