{"id":461941,"date":"2026-02-18T12:02:31","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T12:02:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/461941\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T12:02:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T12:02:31","slug":"insider-predicts-maple-leafs-bobby-mcmann-will-be-traded-to-oilers-at-deadline-the-hockey-writers-toronto-maple-leafs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/461941\/","title":{"rendered":"Insider Predicts Maple Leafs’ Bobby McMann Will be Traded to Oilers at Deadline – The Hockey Writers – Toronto Maple Leafs"},"content":{"rendered":"

The trade rumours between the Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a> and the Edmonton Oilers<\/a> aren\u2019t going away anytime soon. In the latest edition of his \u2018NHL trade matchmaker\u2019 series for The Athletic, insider Chris Johnston took it one step further. He predicted that Maple Leafs forward Bobby McMann<\/a> will be traded to the Oilers ahead of the March 6 trade deadline<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Related: Maple Leafs & Kings Could Emerge as Trade Partners After Fiala\u2019s Injury<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a prediction that makes a lot of sense when you look at where both teams are at. Toronto is trending toward selling, while Edmonton is clearly all-in after falling just short the past two seasons.<\/p>\n

McMann Predicted to Be Dealt to Oilers<\/p>\n

According to Johnston, the Oilers are looking for a player to round out their top nine. McMann checks a lot of those boxes. He already has 19 goals this season and brings a heavy, physical game that fits well alongside elite talent. Johnston also noted, there won\u2019t be another 20-goal scorer available at this deadline with a cap hit as low as McMann\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\"BobbyBobby McMann, Toronto Maple Leafs (Amy Irvin<\/a> \/ The Hockey Writers)<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what Johnston had to say: (\u2018NHL trade matchmaker: Predicting where top targets go by the deadline, part 5,\u2019\u00a0The Athletic,\u00a0Feb. 11, 2026)<\/p>\n

There won\u2019t be another 20-plus goal man available at this deadline who commands a cap hit below the league\u2019s minimum salary. But the Leafs can get him there with full retention. There\u2019s going to be a premium charged for doing that, but part of being all-in is doing whatever it takes to increase your odds of winning.<\/p>\n

While certainly not the most important part of this equation, McMann is an Albertan who was raised a few hours from Edmonton in Wainwright. It\u2019s conceivable he might be more than just a rental if the fit is right. He has shown in Toronto that he can go get the puck for highly skilled linemates and play anywhere you need him in the lineup.<\/p>\n

McMann carries a $1.35 million cap hit<\/a>. If the Maple Leafs retain half, that drops him down to $675,000. For a team like Edmonton that is fighting the cap, that\u2019s a pretty ideal situation. Johnston believes the Oilers would be willing to pay a premium because they know this is their window to win.<\/p>\n

Will the Oilers Pay the Reported Asking Price?<\/p>\n

Reports suggested Maple Leafs general manager (GM) Brad Treliving<\/a> is asking for a first-round pick in return for McMann<\/a>. That\u2019s not a small ask. If Edmonton isn\u2019t willing to part with a first-rounder, the return could shift toward multiple second-round picks with a prospect, or even a very sought-after prospect instead.<\/p>\n

Related: How the Maple Leafs\u2019 Shanaplan Went Off the Rails<\/a><\/p>\n

There\u2019s also the Alberta connection to think about. McMann is from Wainwright, just a few hours outside of Edmonton. It\u2019s wouldn\u2019t the main reason to make a trade, but it does add another layer. If the fit works, he might not just be a rental. The Oilers could look at extending him rather than letting him walk this summer.<\/p>\n

At the end of the day, this feels like more than just noise. The pieces line up, now it just comes down to whether Edmonton is willing to meet the price.<\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The trade rumours between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Edmonton Oilers aren\u2019t going away anytime soon. In…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":453527,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[23057,3819,5,4],"class_list":["post-461941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-2026-nhl-trade-deadline","tag-bobby-mcmann","tag-hockey","tag-nhl"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116091536072983638","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/461941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=461941"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/461941\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/453527"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=461941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=461941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=461941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}