Kraken Trade Deadline
Early two seasons ago, Bobby McMann was waived by the Toronto Maple Leafs. No other NHL team picked him up. No surprise at the time; he had a grand total of ten NHL games under his belt and he flew under the radar for a franchise that had deep playoff aspirations.
After a handful of games with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League, McMann got called up, got hot, and made a name for himself. He earned a contract with the big club and he hasn’t seen the AHL since.
The 29-year-old left winger — he’s played both sides at times for the Maple Leafs this season — posted 20 goals last season. He has 19 goals thus far this season with twenty games to play. He won’t yet be in the line-up Saturday night at Climate Pledge Arena as the Kraken host the Ottawa Senators.
Seattle gave up a 4th-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and a conditional 2nd-round pick in 2027 to get him.
McMann knows his new head coach Lane Lambert well. Lambert was an associate head coach under Craig Berube with the Maple Leafs last season.
And here’s some of what the rest of us know about McMann.
He can fly. He’s considered one of the top five fastest players in the NHL. And he does it with size; 6-foot-2 and close to 220 pounds. He’ll make exciting mad dashes to the net, he’s not afraid to go there, and there’s a chance he’ll bring you out of your seat.
He’ll also leave you wanting more. He’s a bit streaky; to the point where you’ll wonder where he was on a given evening.
This last bit, call it a characteristic, will potentially go out the window with this change of scenery, the fact that it’s the stretch drive and every game means so much, and maybe most importantly, it’s a contract year with McMann being a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) on July 1st. Two weeks before that, he’ll turn 30.
Why does this guy Kraken management is “ecstatic” about only have 200 NHL games played at age 29? He never was supposed to make it. The native of a small town in Alberta, east of Edmonton, he played four seasons of college hockey at Colgate University in upstate New York, was undrafted into the NHL, and worked his way through the minor leagues to where he is now.
That work ethic, when consistent, should serve the Kraken well. He should be in the Seattle line-up Tuesday at home in a huge game against the playoff wannabe Nashville Predators.
Will he play his best in the big moments??
Seattle presently occupies the second and final wild card playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Earlier Kraken:
— Kraken Singing The Blues (Again), Lose 3-2
Earlier Canucks:
— Canucks Trade Tyler Myers; Whipping Boy Turned Respected Leader
