Bobby McMann’s tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs was defined by the long road, an undrafted climb from the ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers to becoming a fixture in the NHL’s most scrutinized market. On Saturday night at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, in his first game since being traded by Toronto, he showed the Seattle Kraken exactly why he was worth the wait.
After missing three games due to a visa issue following his March 6 trade from Toronto, McMann debuted on Seattle’s top line and promptly paced a 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. With two goals and an assist, the 29-year-old made in immediate impact. Up until the trade, McMann had been clear about his desire to stay in Toronto, but as the Leafs shifted into seller mode as playoff aspirations waned, the player who fought his way onto the roster became one of its most valuable trade chips.
McMann is just one of several players dealt by the Maple Leafs making a huge impact at the NHL Trade Deadline.
Nicolas Roy, who was traded to the Colorado Avalanche on March 5 for a conditional first-round pick, has been a revelation for the Stanley Cup contenders. Roy has already suited up for five games with the Avalanche, recording two goals, uncluding a power-play marker in a 5-1 win over these same Kraken last Thursday. In Colorado, Roy’s versatility has allowed him to jump between center and wing, providing the cup-contending depth Toronto originally brought him in for.
Similarly, Scott Laughton has wasted no time making an impression with the Los Angeles Kings. Since being dealt for a conditional third-round pick on deadline day, Laughton has recorded two goals and an assist in just five games along with a 58.3 percent success rate on faceoffs.
In Vancouver, McMann’s first goal in a Kraken sweater came with just 50 seconds remaining in the first period. On a power play, McMann threw a puck toward the net from the left circle that caught Canucks goaltender Nikita Tolopilo off guard. It was McMann’s 20th goal of the season, marking the second consecutive year he has reached that plateau.
He wasn't finished. At 4:14 of the third period, McMann drove the far post with the same relentless intent that once made him a favorite of the Scotiabank Arena faithful, tapping in a cross-slot feed from Jordan Eberle for his 21st goal and a new career high. He also added an assist on a Matty Beniers goal later in the frame, finishing the night with three points and an 18:04 workload.
For the Kraken, the win snapped a four-game losing skid and moved them within one point of a wild-card spot. For McMann, Roy, and Laughton, the post-Toronto era is off to a flying start, leaving the Leafs to wonder if the assets they gained will ever outweigh the immediate production they lost.
