Photo credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
Bobby McMann just told the Seattle Kraken fans he wants to be back and for any Maple Leafs faithful who wanted him back, they’re out of luck.Traded this season at the trade deadline to much chagrin from Leafs Nation, Bobby McMann really settled down in Seattle and found immediate success. Under head coach Lane Lambert whom he knew in Toronto, McMann turned into a man possessed – cementing himself no longer as a late bloomer, but officially here.
With 14 points in 18 games including four multi-point games, he absolutely did everything he could to get the Kraken in the playoffs but it wasn’t enough.
McMann scored 20 goals in Toronto but the Leafs never made him a priority to keep
As McMann looks to free agency, no doubt he has some unfinished business with the Kraken and for those Maple Leafs fans who were hopeful that the former speedster would make his way back are going to be in for a gut punch:
McMann posted on his personal Instagram a photo of him celebrating a goal, and simply captioned it with an octopus emoji; clearly a symbol of the Kraken moniker. But it was the team itself replying with some fire themselves that has led serious credence to him coming back.
The big issue with McMann in Toronto wasn’t his production but the fact the team was not sure if they wanted to pay him the salary he’s deserved. Earning only $1.35-million this year, he was expected to triple that and the Maple Leafs said no thank you.
Instead, he was dealt to the Kraken for a second and fourth round pick; even after so much speculation he could pull in at least a first. Brad Treliving got a horrible return looking back, and it was one of the nails in his eventual coffin.
Seattle gave McMann a role Toronto never offered him and the numbers prove it
Expect the Kraken to present a deal for five-years at roughly $5-million per season. It certainly rewards him for his growth, gives him job security, and it at least allows Seattle a pretty easy out if he regresses (so long as there isn’t a ton of protection).
He averaged just over 15 minutes a night with the Maple Leafs…as their fifth leading goal scorer. Craig Berube never gave him the leg room to run with his talents and it shows. With Seattle, he got nearly 18 minutes a game and scored as many power-play goals in 18 games with the Kraken than he did in 60 games with Toronto.
McMann had 29 goals last year and still couldn’t crack 16 minutes meanwhile Toronto was playing Calle Jarnkrok the same amount of time pretty much with zero benefits.
In the mythos of Norwegian folklore, The Kraken is a ship-crushing, lightning-quick, and powerful force that makes even the bravest men think twice about approaching it.
In the NHL, Bobby McMann is a body-crushing, speedy, and tough as nails player, and Seattle is about to unleash their real-life version of the beast.
Previously on Hockey Patrol
POLL
13 HOURS AGO|238 ANSWERS
Bobby McMann is telling Maple Leafs fans he wants to stay in Seattle
Do you think Toronto has a chance to sign Bobby McMann this summer?