The Bobby McMann market was hotter than the Leafs realized after interest from Edmonton and Colorado
Photo credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
The Toronto Maple Leafs had multiple buyers in on Bobby McMann, and still came away with an underwhelming return.
Brad Treliving and the Maple Leafs settled
for a "safe" exit with Bobby McMann, landing on only a 2027 second-rounder and a 2026 fourth from the Seattle Kraken.
for a "safe" exit with Bobby McMann, landing on only a 2027 second-rounder and a 2026 fourth from the Seattle Kraken.
However, with heavy-hitters like the Oilers
and Avalanche in the mix, Toronto essentially left a potential first-round pick on the table by refusing to utilize their retention spots.
and Avalanche in the mix, Toronto essentially left a potential first-round pick on the table by refusing to utilize their retention spots.
According to a report from David Pagnotta of 'The Fourth Period', multiple teams poked around McMann additionally as well as Seattle.
Pagnotta reports hat along with the Kraken, that other teams that had looked at McMann include the Edmonton Oilers, Colorado Avalanche, & the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Multiple teams were in on McMann, and may have been better chances to get an even stronger offer out of Bobby McMann in the open market.
An intense market featuring the Oilers and Avalanche proves Bobby McMann was at his peak trade value
The issue for the Toronto Maple Leafs at the trade deadline was choosing to wait out for the right offer, and it let the best deal perhaps pass them by.
Toronto ultimately settled for a second and fourth round picks from the Kraken, viewed as an underwhelming deal on the Leafs end.
The Oilers and Avalanche are two teams specifically that Toronto failed to press enough for a potential first rounder. Toronto got beat to the punch as a trade partner with Edmonton for Jason Dickinson, a trade that netted a first.
Toronto's biggest failure, however, was not failing to get a first round pick, but refusing to make their more alluring by using one of their three retention spots, ultimately using none of them.
The most confusing aspect of the McMann trade was Toronto's refusal to use even one of their three available salary retention spots.
In a trade market where Jason Dickinson fetched a first-rounder, the Leafs' choice to stay cap-rigid may have cost them
the necessary draft capital needed to survive the 2027 retool.
the necessary draft capital needed to survive the 2027 retool.
The Maple Leafs needed to secure a first-round pick to accelerate the 2027 rebuild
The Toronto Maple Leafs have decided that a first round pick won't come at the cost of retaining on a player, but at the deadline it seemed to be the only way to get a deal done.
The Leafs plan to retool should involve improving their draft capital for long-term success, filling the team's future for an aging team to be able to find new faces.
For 2026, Toronto's first round pick hangs in the balance, and with their prospect cabinet already weakened, the Leafs have made it evident that's its still not a priority, even if it seemingly should be.
The Toronto Maple Leafs success will extend beyond next season, but it cannot happen if the team is reliant on veterans each year to get re deal done, other teams have merged their star talent with new blood.
If the Toronto Maple Leafs want to win after 2027, they need to be focused on their future and build it themselves, rather than trusting in signing AHL veterans year in and year out.
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Previously on Hockey Patrol
| POLL | ||
MARS 17|695 ANSWERS The Bobby McMann market was hotter than the Leafs realized after interest from Edmonton and Colorado Should the Leafs have retained on Bobby McMann to net a first? | ||
| Yes | 580 | 83.5 % |
| No | 115 | 16.5 % |
| List of polls | ||