NHL Rumors: What Will the Maple Leafs Do With Bobby McMann?

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Bobby McMann skates during 2025 game.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are getting real production from a winger making just $1.35 million and now have to decide whether that value is worth paying for long term. 

At 29 and trending toward unrestricted free agency on July 1, Bobby McMann has made himself harder to ignore by producing like a top six piece, with 20 goals last season and 14 goals already this year while flashing the speed and edge that popped when he got a look higher in the lineup.

Keep Bobby McMann and pay the new price

The case for keeping him is simple: players who can skate, play heavy, and score at his rate do not usually come with a bargain cap hit, and the Leafs have leaned on his goals during stretches where the usual stars were not carrying every night. 

He is doing this with less than 15 minutes a game and modest power play usage, which is exactly the type of profile that can explode into a much more expensive contract if it carries into the spring. 

Even his underlying story helps, since he is an undrafted late bloomer who forced his way into the NHL and has now put the Leafs in a spot where a reasonable extension number might start around the mid fours, with the open market capable of pushing higher if teams see a scarce power winger type. 

Over his four-year NHL career, McMann has recorded 49 goals and 83 total points across 185 games played, along with 395 shots and 367 hits.

Trade Bobby McMann while the leverage is strongest

The other path is colder but logical, because Toronto’s needs usually come back to the blue line by deadline season, and a productive, affordable winger who can step into someone else’s top nine is exactly the kind of chip that can help pry loose help on defense. 

The Leafs also have a roster squeeze looming with other big bodied wingers in the mix and Dakota Joshua expected back, so moving McMann now could be a way to solve multiple problems before the market forces their hand. 

There is also a timing wrinkle with the Olympic roster freeze in February and the March trade deadline, which creates a natural decision window for Brad Treliving if he does not want to risk another “own rental” walking for nothing.

Of course, there's nothing to indicate that McMann is not open to re-signing in Toronto, but if the Maple Leafs don't want to pay him what he thinks he's worth, then things could get messy.

Photo Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images 

Go To: NFL Rumors | NBA Rumors | MLB Rumors