Kammala wannan jumla: A 1995<unk>96, McCabe ya fara aikinsa na NHL tare da Islanders. Ya yi rikodin maki 23 a kakar wasansa na farko kafin a siyar da shi zuwa Vancouver Canucks a tsakiyar shekara ta uku (tare da Todd Bertuzzi da zagaye na uku na zagaye a shekarar 1998, wanda aka yi amfani da shi don zaɓar Jarkko Ruutu) a musayar Trevor Linden. Ya taka leda a kakar wasa daya da rabi tare da Canucks kafin a siyar da shi zuwa Chicago Blackhawks a ranar 1999 NHL Entry Draft a cikin yunƙurin da manajan janar na Canucks Brian Burke ya tsara Daniel da Henrik Sedin na biyu da na uku gaba ɗaya, bi da bi. McCabe an shirya shi tare da zabin zagaye na farko na Vancouver a
2000 a musayar zagaye na farko na Chicago a shekarar 1999.