Photo credit: Jerome Miron Imagn Images
Trading Bobby McMann isn’t just a roster move; it’s a signal that the Leafs have learned absolutely nothing from their past sins.
Former NHLer Anthony Stewart went on ‘Leafs Morning Take’ this week and strongly disagreed with the idea of moving the McMann.
Stewart didn’t mince words.
He called out the franchise’s bad habit of developing “middle six” studs, squeezing them for cheap production, and then watching them walk out the door to become stars elsewhere.
“You trade a Bobby McMann, that’s just the conveyor belt of going from under $3M at the time, to when it’s time to make $5M, it’s see you later,” Stewart said.
Does the name Zach Hyman ring a bell?
The Leafs roster is littered with ghosts of “found money” players who are now thriving in other jerseys while Toronto desperately hunts for replacements.
McMann is the latest chapter in this frustrating book.
He wasn’t handed a spot. He went undrafted out of Colgate University and clawed his way up from the ECHL.
Now, at 29, he is a 6’2″, 217-pound heavy train who has already potted 19 goals this season.
He is on pace for a career year, and he is doing it on a $1.35 million cap hit that is arguably the best bargain in the entire league for someone who will be a 20+ goal scorer.
The Leafs cannot afford to bleed any more character
Stewart’s point is that you don’t trade a guy like this just to go searching for a “$5M winger” in the summer.
You already have him. You developed him.
McMann fits the “heavy” identity Brad Treliving claims he wants to build. He hits, he scores, and he plays in the dirty areas.
Trading him for a draft pick is a surrender flag.
It tells the room that development doesn’t matter and that homegrown grit is disposable.
Pay the man. Keep the motor. Break the cycle.
Previously on Toronto Hockey Daily
POLL
22 HOURS AGO|229 ANSWERS
Former NHLer believes the Maple Leafs are on the cusp of making a huge mistake
Do you trust Brad Treliving to make the right call on Bobby McMann?