Bobby McMann is what many analysts would call a late bloomer, maturing into a full-fledged NHL contributor after going unselected in the 2014 NHL Draft. McMann clawed his way to the NHL, from an undrafted free agent, to the ECHL, to AHL mainstay, where his continued improvement earned him a ten-game stint with the Maple Leafs in 2022-2023. When McMann finally got to the NHL, he played more passively than usual, or at least it appeared that it would be a steep learning curve.
And in the span of one evening, everything seemed to change, or everything seemed to click. McMann exploded for a hat-trick against the St. Louis Blues on February 13, a love letter to those who insisted he was worthy of regular minutes in the NHL.
McMann showed glimpses of what was to come for the rest of the season on his first goal of the contest, shielding off Brayden Schenn on a drive to the net, before tucking the puck past Jordan Binnington, while Colton Parayko made a half-hearted attempt at a stick-check.
BOBBY MCMANN 🚨
Takes it to the net and scores pic.twitter.com/f4ux7kzFCt
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) February 14, 2024
And perhaps it’s McMann’s second of the goal that warrants further viewing. It was a truly spectacular goal in a sense as McMann wired the puck in the opposite top corner, with one leg off the ground, hockey’s answer to the Dirk Nowitzki fadeaway if you will (perhaps we’re going too far here, but the point remains!) and this was on a night where he was primarily paired with David Kampf and Noah Gregor. In the moment, it felt like an aberration, a really fun evening that would ultimately end up as a major outlier.
BOBBY MCMANN 🚨🚨
He does it again! Two-goal game! pic.twitter.com/m1tV2nVtJT
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) February 14, 2024
But maybe the old trope is correct: all you need is one goal to visualize the rest of them going in, and McMann completed his hat-trick with a responsible defensive play, banking the puck off the boards and into the empty net. For one evening, it elevated the circumstances of an otherwise nondescript February regular season content. For McMann, it was the catalyst for a mid-season breakout.
“He’s trying to learn to grab on to a role in the league. He can score; he’s done that in the American League. But it’s been a challenge in the NHL,” Sheldon Keefe said of McMann post-game via Sportsnet’s Luke Fox. “You’re not going to get a hat trick every night. So, you’ve got to work on all the other things: be physical, be defensively responsible, be trusted, be able to kill penalties, and all things that can keep you in the league. Different players figure it out at different times.”
Following his breakout performance, McMann recorded seven goals and 10 points during a February 13-22 stretch, and was rewarded with key minutes alongside Max Domi and William Nylander. And during a ten-game stretch spanning from February 27-March 19, McMann led the team with 33 shots at 5-on-5 via Natural Stat Trick, while ranking second in individual chances created, third in rebounds created and third in hits.
McMann promptly signed a two-year extension worth $1.35 million annually, a reward for his consistent play throughout the six-week span and a promise of what could come next. The 27-year-old actualized his top-end speed and tenacity into real, tangible offence for the Maple Leafs, an unexpected, low-cost contributor for a team that is continually fighting against the machinations of a cap-strapped roster.
Bobby McMann, signed to a 2x$1.35M extension by TOR, is a utility winger who’s created scoring chances and goals at an efficient rate this season. #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/fOVFoo1lnT
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) March 13, 2024
McMann suffered a season-ending injury on April 13 after an innocuous collision with Detroit Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat and one can only imagine how he could have elevated the Maple Leafs during their first-round series against the Boston Bruins. The 27-year-old not only excelled in the context of carving out a permanent role for himself on the team, but he also established himself as one of the most dangerous players off the rush in 2023-24. McMann finished T11th in the NHL at rush attempts at 5-on-5, while leading the league in rush attempts per 60 among all players with 400 minutes or greater at 5-on-5 via Natural Stat Trick. Toronto may have unearthed a speedy tenacious winger who can play the left side, precisely what it is missing during an era where it has prioritized top-heavy contracts.
Perhaps all you need is one game to change your life. For McMann, it was the culmination of his work up to this point and he may quietly function as the Maple Leafs’ underrated weapon ahead of the 2024-25 campagn.
