TORONTO — Only time will tell if Bobby McMann remains a Toronto Maple Leaf beyond this season. But the speedy winger wastes no time in responding that would be his desire.
“Yeah, it’d be cool. This place kind of has everything that you could ask for. Made a lot of good friendships, good relationships with a lot of great people, a lot of great staff in this organization. So, it’s definitely a spot that I could see myself being in,” the impending free agent told Sportsnet.ca Monday morning.
“And the fans are great here. It’s like a hockey centre. Everybody loves watching hockey, whether it’s our games or anyone’s. I think it’s just a cool spot to be for hockey.”
And a cool spot to get first-line shifts, as the late-blooming, cap-friendly McMann has taken over the No. 1 left wing role alongside Auston Matthews during the Leafs’ best stretch of hockey all season.
Over his past 15 games, the streaky 29-year-old has racked up seven goals and 11 points. The 17:58 in ice time McMann is averaging in January is easily his most in any NHL month.
-
Real Kyper and Bourne
Nick Kypreos and Justin Bourne talk all things hockey with some of the biggest names in the game. Watch live every weekday on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ — or listen live on Sportsnet 590 The FAN — from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET.
Full episode
(Worth noting: Matthews’ usual left wing, Matthew Knies, has been battling a lower-body injury that has been lingering since at least December and is a game-time decision Monday.)
McMann, you may recall, was healthy scratched in coach Craig Berube’s first game in Toronto. He is hesitant read too much into his recent promotion.
“I don’t see that much meaning behind it. It’s more just like we try a bunch of combinations throughout the year, and sometimes some of them work, some of them don’t. Sometimes you start winning games and things are clicking,” McMann said. “That’s how I see it, as just trying to contribute to a spot on a line that maybe has certain aspects that I can fill and bring to the table.”
No doubt, McMann has brought more to the table this season than any other. Berube loves the pace and physicality the undrafted McMann has injected into Matthews’ unit and appreciates the Wainwright, Alta., native’s increased physicality.
“It’s a little unfair, honestly, how fast he is,” Knies said, flashing a smile. “It’s crazy.”
McMann’s 15 goals, 10 assists, 40 penalty minutes, 104 hits, and 20 blocks have him on pace for career highs across the board.
Among McMann’s fellow pending UFAs, only Alex Ovechkin, Nick Schmaltz, Artemi Panarin, Jordan Eberle, Alex Tuch, and Keifer Sherwood (who was traded to the San Jose Sharks on Monday) have scored more goals this season.
McMann is younger and cheaper ($1.35 million AAV) than all of them.
-
32 Thoughts: The Podcast
Hockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.
Latest episode
Make no mistake: This summer is the ECHL graduate’s best shot at setting himself up with a life-altering payday and professional security.
Pickings are slim, and the cap is rising.
“It’s not something I really, one, try to think about, or, as much as I can, do think about. You always want to enjoy the journey,” McMann said.
“Yeah, there’s maybe a little bit on the line personally, but it’s not something I want to focus on. I think it’s something that is exciting. But I want to focus on winning games, focus on being the best version of myself, reaching my potential any year that I’m playing and contributing as much as I can to a team.”
McMann said no serious extension talks have begun yet.
The trade deadline looms roughly six weeks away and compelling decisions await.
GM Brad Treliving already extended McMann once, but McMann’s play has shifted leverage to the player side. The same goes for fellow UFAs Scott Laughton and Troy Stecher, two more integral role players outperforming their current salaries.
Treliving has a saying: Only two pesky little things get in the way of a seamless contract negotiation. Money and term.
McMann says that the sides have not delved into serious talks yet. Discussions are preliminary.
“No, it’s not something that I’m trying to get into or really focus a lot of energy on,” McMann said. “I’m trying to let my agents figure things out. But, no, I haven’t really gotten into it.”
McMann is represented by Brian and Scott Bartlett, who also represent Buffalo’s Tuch.
Tuch is believed to be asking the Sabres for an eight-figure salary on a long-term deal. A rising tide floats all boats.
Perhaps it would serve McMann, and Sherwood, for that matter, to wait for the most proven power forward of this UFA class to sign.
The Maple Leafs like McMann.
Do they like him at $4 million per season? Or $5 million?
We are talking about a player who has failed to score — and has managed just three assists — in his 13 career playoff games, a player with only 187 games played at the NHL level.
Would McMann be content to ride out this impactful season and deal with business in the summer?
“Yeah. I mean, it’s kind of both ways,” McMann replied. “Like, what the team wants, what works for me, and I think I just trust my agents to represent me and figure it out. Because I don’t really know the market and how that works.
“Like, I haven’t really negotiated a lot of deals or anything. Obviously, they’ve done a ton. So, I’m just trusting that they’ll guide me in the right direction.”
The way top-line McMann is playing these days, the only direction is up.
“Yeah,” he smiled. “That’s where I focus my energy — winning and my play.”
