{"id":459083,"date":"2026-02-15T20:37:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T20:37:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/459083\/"},"modified":"2026-02-15T20:37:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T20:37:13","slug":"the-maple-leafs-cant-afford-to-repeat-the-zach-hyman-mistake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/459083\/","title":{"rendered":"The Maple Leafs can\u2019t afford to repeat the Zach Hyman mistake"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n

We all know that Toronto regrets getting rid of Zach Hyman given his rise to stardom in Edmonton, and they need to avoid doing the same with Bobby McMann.<\/p>\n

When the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Zach Hyman from the Florida Panthers in 2015 for forward Gregg McKegg, it was seen as a bit of a prospect for prospect swap.<\/p>\n

That move paid off handsomely for Toronto, as Hyman came in and was a staple to the top line alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner and gave them a ton of versatility, scoring and physicality.<\/p>\n

Toronto already lost one power forward to frugality, can’t afford to lose another<\/p>\n

They regret that now, and they weren’t willing to give him the pay raise he deserved and therefore ended up losing out on potentially a playoff game changer who could have elevated them past the second round.<\/p>\n

They’re also running the risk of doing the same thing with Bobby McMann and they simply can’t afford to strike out again.<\/p>\n

One knock on McMann is that he is going to be 30 years old and the speed and scoring prowess may regress sooner than later, so committing long-term might not be smart. Though the reports show that McMann could command $5-million per season, is that really that bad?<\/p>\n

In a vacuum, both McMann and Hyman are following the same trajectory<\/p>\n

Comparing Hyman and McMann is a little hard given that Hyman has two full seasons more time with the team and his stats are going to reflect as such, but they aren’t too far off in the grand scheme of things.<\/p>\n

Hyman has 179 points (82 goals, 97 assists) in 329 games for the Maple Leafs (counting full seasons only) while adding 181 blocks and 449 hits in 17:42 TOI meanwhile McMann has 90 points (54 goals, 36 assists) in 186 games along with 64 blocks and 379 hits.<\/p>\n

But their average points per season aren’t far off at 44.6 for Hyman and 39.7 for McMann, and McMann has been a better power-play producer on top of being a much more physical presence.<\/p>\n

McMann makes a bit less on his salary, but it lines up perfectly with what they would pay him based on what Hyman signed for in Edmonton — it’s surprisingly similar, and Toronto doesn’t have to give him a boatload of trade protection — Hyman has a modified no-trade clause in his deal.<\/p>\n

Hyman was 29 when he signed with Edmonton but he had a few years more experience to warrant that. McMann is also 29 and could sign a very similar deal and follow the same path — another year or two and he could hit 35-40 goals.<\/p>\n

Is it going to cost the Maple Leafs a bit of money to hold onto McMann? Absolutely. But if they want to avoid a long-term catastrophe like they did with Hyman then perhaps they stop the fire before they get burned once again.<\/p>\n

Previously on Hockey Patrol<\/p>\n

POLL<\/p>\n

1 HOUR AGO|39 ANSWERS<\/p>\n

The Maple Leafs can\u2019t afford to repeat the Zach Hyman mistake<\/p>\n

Should Toronto take a chance and re-sign Bobby McMann long-term?<\/p>\n

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