The Toronto Maple Leafs have a lot of players they could trade before the NHL’s March 6 trading deadline.
One of them, Bobby McMann, might have one of the highest perceived values, but he also might be one of the hardest to get rid of.
McMann is made an obvious trade candidate by the fact that he’s in the final year of his contract.
But Leafs fans may want to keep him around on a potential contract extension given his grit and his blooming offensive game.
“I can understand if some Leaf fans feel trepidation over the idea of cashing out McMann,” writes Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin in a new article on Saturday. “A tenacious, late-blooming left winger going to market at the end of his 20s sounds a lot like Zach Hyman. But Hyman’s career trajectory is the exception, not the norm.”
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McMann is an appealing target for contenders in large part because his cap hit is only $1.35 million, one of the smallest of anyone even slightly available in this trade market.
Because of that, the Leafs can ask for a big return.
“McMann is likely close to his peak value and could return a second- or even first-round pick given his unique size/speed package and dirt-cheap AAV,” Larkin writes.
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If the Maple Leafs can find their way toward acquiring a first-round pick for McMann, they’ve got to do it. They don’t have a strong enough prospect system to pass up that opportunity.
McMann could still be a free agent at the end of the season, if he doesn’t extend with his new team. But the Leafs can’t afford to lose him for nothing, especially if an early-round pick is on the table instead.
