Bobby McMann is in prime position to cash in as an unrestricted free agent, even though he’s not ready to truly focus on who his next employer might actually be.
As the Seattle Kraken rolled through Winnipeg earlier this week to take on the Jets, McMann conceded that it’s impossible not to have part of his mind wandering after being on the move for the first time in his career.
But with the Kraken clinging to hope in the Western Conference wild card chase, his eye is on that potential prize and his future will take care of itself.
“I mean, it’s hard not to think about it. It creeps in,” said McMann. “I’m trying to focus all of my energy right now on playing and trying to get on a roll here because that’s all we’ve got to do to get in (to the playoffs).”
Adrian Kraus / The Associated Press Files
Seattle Kraken centre Bobby McMann is having a breakout season, with 28 goals and 45 points in 74 games.
Thanks to a shootout win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, the Kraken avoided being mathematically eliminated but they’re still eight points behind the Los Angeles Kings with four games left on their schedule.
That means the margin of error has gone from slim to none — and the reason they’re still alive is because they would hold the tiebreaker over the Kings due to having more regulation wins.
The Kraken are in need of additional scoring, so finding a way to keep McMann in the fold figures to be a priority for general manager Jason Botterill going into the offseason.
“I’m trying to focus all of my energy right now on playing and trying to get on a roll here because that’s all we’ve got to do to get in (to the playoffs).”
McMann picked a perfect time for a breakout season and by producing nine goals and 13 points in 14 games with the Kraken since being acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs, he’s up to 28 goals and 45 points in 74 games.
Those are the types of numbers that lead to a sharp increase in salary, with many projections for McMann’s next deal coming in around five years for something in the neighbourhood of $5 million per season.
A bidding war could cause either the term of AAV to be on the rise, especially with the salary cap set to be jumping significantly during the next three seasons.
McMann, 30, is the type of player virtually every team will covet, given his skillset. Along with seeing a bump in his offensive output, McMann plays with pace and has a physical element to his game, with 160 hits recorded in each of the past two seasons.
He’s up to 63 goals and 104 points in 214 NHL games, so it’s not like this is an outlier season and one to be wary of, though he’s riding a shooting percentage heater of 19.6 per cent with the Kraken that is up from his career mark of 13.2 per cent over parts of four NHL seasons.
Asked for his take on why he’s been able to take on an enhanced role this season, first with the Maple Leafs and later with the Kraken, McMann points to the work he’s been putting in since arriving on the scene in 2022-23, when he appeared in his first 10 NHL games.
“You just want to keep pushing. That’s kind of what it was, just trusting that the work I’m putting in is eventually going to pay off and continually pay off.”
“I feel like it is a gradual incline of my career of just continually trying to work and continually trying to get better every single day and push for that and knowing that you don’t want to really cap yourself at a ceiling,” said McMann.
“You just want to keep pushing. That’s kind of what it was, just trusting that the work I’m putting in is eventually going to pay off and continually pay off.”
McMann has done things the hard way to earn his place in the NHL, which only enhances his appeal to the teams that will be looking to bring him into the fold, provided he hits the open market.
After going undrafted, the pride of Wainright, Alta. signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League after finishing his four seasons with Colgate Raiders of the NCAA.
There will be no shortage of suitors for McMann’s services and while the Jets haven’t won a lot of bidding wars in free agency during the first 15 seasons of the franchise’s existence, he’s the type of heart and soul player that can provide complementary offence while fitting in perfectly with a core group that needs to improve the top-six forward group.
So, keep an eye on him as the regular season wraps up and the off-season moving and shaking begins.
AROUND THE GLASS:
Fight to the finish
For all of the debate surrounding the current playoff format that isn’t likely to be changing anytime soon, races are going down to the wire in both conferences.
With most teams down to three or four games left in the regular season, four teams have punched their playoff ticket in the Western Conference and five spots are locked up in the Eastern Conference.
That leaves plenty of drama left to unfold over the course of the next week, whether you’re more interested in who claims the final wild card berth in the West (with the Jets chasing the Los Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators) or who locks up the top seed in the Eastern Conference (with the Carolina Hurricanes leading the Buffalo Sabres by two points and the Montreal Canadiens by four).
The Sabres qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since the spring of 2011 is one of the feelgood stories of the entire season and is one of the reasons head coach Lindy Ruff should be the front-runner in a field of strong candidates competing for the Jack Adams award.
Lindsey Wasson / The Associated Press Files
Colorado Avalanche centre Nathan MacKinnon has a two-goal cushion on Montreal’s Cole Caufield in the race for the Rocket Richard Trophy.
After winning five of the past six games, the Jets pulled within three points of the Kings on Thursday, but they’ll likely need to run the table and might still need some help to force their way into the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
The Colorado Avalanche have nailed down the Presidents’ Trophy, which also means they will capture the Central Division and finish atop the Western Conference.
That ensures the Avalanche will have home-ice advantage throughout each series they play.
By virtue of defeating the Minnesota Wild 5-4 on Thursday, the Dallas Stars need just a single point during the final three games to ensure they finish second in the Central and have home ice in the first round.
Speaking of races, Nathan MacKinnon (52) of the Avalanche has a two-goal cushion on Cole Caufield in the race for the Rocket Richard Trophy after the Montreal Canadiens winger became the franchise’s first player to notch 50 goals since Stephane Richer had 51 in 1989-90.
Connor McDavid of the Oilers leads the Art Ross Trophy race with 133 points, with Nikita Kucherov (128) and MacKinnon (126) still lurking.
The turnaround
The Vegas Golden Knights have their mojo back, going 4-0-1 since John Tortorella took over behind the bench for Bruce Cassidy on Mar. 29.
By getting on a roll, the Golden Knights have positioned themselves well to battle for the Pacific Division crown.
Jose F. Moreno / The Associated Press Files
The Vegas Golden Knights record is 4-0-1 since John Tortorella took over as the team’s coach on Mar. 29.
Going into Saturday’s action, the Golden Knights and Anaheim Ducks sit at 89 points, which is one behind the Edmonton Oilers.
By chipping in two goals on Thursday against the Kraken, Winnipegger Mark Stone is up to five goals and seven points during the past seven games, leaving the Golden Knights captain at 26 goals and 69 points in 57 games this season.
He’s second on the Golden Knights in goals behind Pavel Dorofeyev and third in points behind Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner, despite missing 22 games due to injury.
For some additional context, Stone’s 1.21 points per game leave him 11th in the NHL in the category Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning leads at 1.75 points per game.
The debut
The New York Islanders followed suit by firing Patrick Roy with four games left in the regular season and replacing him with Peter DeBoer.
In DeBoer’s debut, the Islanders snapped a four-game losing skid and moved within one point of the Philadelphia Flyers in the chase for third place in the Metropolitan Division and three points of the Ottawa Senators, who hold down the second wild card in the East.
The Islanders have three home games remaining and all of them feature a team currently above the playoff line: the Senators, the Canadiens and Hurricanes.
Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter
The Warm-Up
Winnipeg Jets Game Days
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.
Most of the fanfare (and rightfully so) surrounding the Islanders revolves around Calder Trophy front-runner Matthew Schaefer, but one of the other important developments surrounding the team has been the resurgence of centre Mathew Barzal.
Barzal, who was limited to 30 games last season due to injury, leads the Islanders in scoring with 19 goals and 71 points while appearing in 78 of 79 games.
By scoring his 23rd goal of the campaign on Thursday, Schaefer has tied Hall of Famer Brian Leetch for the most markers by a rookie D-man in NHL history.
www.winnipegfreepress.com/kenwiebe
www.winnipegfreepress.com/mikemcintyre
Raised in the booming metropolis of Altona, Man., Ken Wiebe grew up wanting to play in the NHL, but after realizing his hands were more adept at typing than scoring, he shifted his attention to cover his favourite sport as a writer.
Mike McIntyre grew up wanting to be a professional wrestler. But when that dream fizzled, he put all his brawn into becoming a professional writer.
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