Struggling Maple Leafs Forward Called Out Ahead of Game 2 vs Senators
Craig Berube tried to motivate Bobby McMann on Tuesday as the forward has gone through a slump, but called out his play of late needs to be a bit smarter.
Though the Toronto Maple Leafs had a stellar last month or so in the regular season, their team really picked it up both offensively and defensively, with guys like Nick Robertson picking it up a bit, getting more out of Scott Laughton and Steven Lorentz, and even Philippe Myers had a highlight reel goal.
But one player who hasn't really factored into things recently is Bobby McMann. He hasn't scored in his last 12 games, and while it's understandable because he's still only in his second true season with the team, but after such a breakout season it's getting concerning.
Head coach Craig Berube has taken notice too, and while he was complimentary to his forward, he also acknowledged that he needs to change some things if he wants to get back on the road to success.
He's getting his attempts. There's times where I'm not sure the attempt is worth it. I'd like to see him delay a little bit or hang on to pucks a little bit more. He needs to get on the inside. He can provide more. He can do more.
Certainly the team is going to need him to do more. If McMann, who scored 20 goals this season can't pick it up, or pick his spots; it's going to be a lot harder for Toronto to sustain their run.
Playoff teams are built off the backs of secondary scorers, as the leaders can only do so much. Yes you'll get the big named players with a bevy of points but look at previous years with Alec Martinez, Yanni Gourde, and several other smaller named players who made such an impactful role.
If McMann can start to find his scoring touch yet again and be that player who can come through in the clutch, then it is going to be a great playoff run for the Maple Leafs.
They need to make sure though that McMann doesn't get too flustered or in his own head in he can't get things going as fast as he expects.
The playoffs are a different beast, and McMann is really truly getting his first taste of the postseason after missing last year's series against Boston.
There's still some growing pains, but if he can get through them relatively unscathed, then the rest of the playoff teams need to watch out for an even more dangerous Maple Leafs team, with McMann bringing the thunder and the lightning to the lineup every single night.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 22 | 442 ANSWERS Struggling Maple Leafs Forward Called Out Ahead of Game 2 vs Senators Do you think Bobby McMann needs to change how he plays or is it just bad luck? | ||
| Bad Luck | 276 | 62.4 % |
| Change It Up! | 166 | 37.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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