Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
James Mirtle of The Athletic has named the Colorado Avalanche as a perfect team for Bobby McMann and gave us an idea of what that price could end up being.
As the Toronto Maple Leafs only have a little over a week before the schedule gets back in full swing, they are going to have to do a lot of homework if they expect to make a deal when they return, or barring that — the trade deadline at the absolute latest.
That may be a lot to ask, and it seems more likely the team is going to make a couple of deals to get some assets but not do a full teardown (at least not yet) and the biggest name on the list is no doubt Bobby McMann.
Bobby McMann could be Rocky Mountain bound
The speedy, physical winger has had another stellar season for the Maple Leafs and it’s apparent there is a lot of interest from contenders around the league given how many teams he’s been linked to.
Though James Mirtle of The Athletic has a team who would be a perfect fit for McMann and give him arguably the best chance to win a Stanley Cup this season:
Maybe the Avs aim higher, given the season they’ve had and their recent struggles. Or maybe this is just one of multiple additions they make.
But McMann’s speed and booming shot would fit in well here in the middle six, giving Colorado some secondary scoring beyond their superstars. And his super-reasonable cap hit, especially with retention, would allow the front office to add elsewhere.
The Leafs are hoping for a first in return here, but McMann may top out at two seconds the way Kiefer Sherwood did last month.
Either way, the Avs would need to dip into their 2027 picks if the bidding reaches that level, as they’ve exhausted their 2026 supply Cup-chasing in years past.
Why McMann and the Avs make sense
For Colorado, they are adding a 20-goal scorer with top-six potential who has some of the fastest legs in the league, and get a player who will add a lot of physicality to a team that needs some more oomph.
Colorado has limited cap space too, so McMann’s $1.35-million hit works with their books, and it would be more than worth giving up a couple of 2027 second round picks for the chance to add him (especially since Colorado’s window to win is pretty open).
For the Avs, he would replace Victor Olofsson on the second line and will give that line a much edgier and speedier player who can hit a lot, and adding McMann to a line with Brock Nelson makes a very deadly 1-2 punch on line two.
Toronto needs to recuperate what they traded away and getting rid of McMann will do that, and instead of potentially dealing him somewhere he can do some damage to them, he could be Colorado bound with a great chance to lift the Cup this summer.
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