Maple Leafs' Bobby McMann Is Deserving Of A Hefty Raise

The Toronto Maple Leafs have many of their players under contract at relatively low pay rates. You need those types of players to afford superstars Auston Matthews and William Nylander.

But Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving has also chosen to wait to sign some of his secondary players to new contracts. And one of those players is left winger Bobby McMann, who will be a UFA at the end of this season.

The Leafs probably could’ve re-signed McMann for a lower amount if they’d signed him to an extension before this season. But with 14 goals and 24 points thus far, McMann is proving to be a valuable secondary scorer that Toronto needs more of.

Although there’s a sense of shock going on among some Leafs fans after TSN analyst Mike Johnson pegged McMann as a $4-to-$5-million dollar player, McMann is worth it.

Given that McMann has endured some lengthy scoring droughts in parts of four seasons with Toronto, some fans are hesitant to accept McMann getting a major raise on the $1.35-million he’s been making last season and this season.

However, the Leafs have plenty of salary cap space next season – more than $20.1-million in space – and they wouldn’t be breaking the bank by giving McMann a notable bump in pay. 

When he’s at his best, McMann gives the Buds the robust physical game and the speed Toronto needs. If you look around the NHL for comparables, it says here Treliving should be good with paying McMann $4-to-$5-million per season.

For example, let’s focus on a former player in the Leafs organization, who is good for 20 goals per season – current Columbus Blue Jackets left winger Mason Marchment – and see how he compares to McMann.

Marchment is 30 years old – one year older than McMann – and Marchment has scored 22 goals in each of the past two seasons. This year, which he’s split between the Blue Jackets and the Seattle Kraken, Marchment has nine goals in 36 games.

But McMann is on pace to score 25 goals this year – and that would beat his current career-high of 20 goals, which he scored last season.

Compare Marchment’s numbers to McMann’s this season, and you can make a good case that McMann should be earning at least as much as the $4.5 million that Marchment is making annually.

So even if Treliving tacks on an additional $500,000 and pays McMann an even $5 million, you won’t see NHL executives snorting in derision. 

It’s true, Treliving can’t throw oodles of money at every player on the Leafs’ roster. The Buds also have to figure out the future of veteran center Scott Laughton.

Laughton earns $3 million per season, and Toronto only pays half of that salary following last year's trade with the Philadelphia Flyers. Nonetheless, there’s going to be a delicate financial balance that Treliving must achieve if he wants to re-sign Laughton and McMann.

That said, the Leafs have some notable contracts coming off their books after this season ends, and that money can be reallocated to McMann and Laughton.

For instance, veteran right winger Calle Jarnkrok is earning $2.1 million and is in the final season of his contract, and defenseman Matt Benning is signed for only this season at $1.25 million.

That’s an extra $3.35 million that can be given to McMann – and with the salary cap rising by $8.5 million this summer, Toronto can afford significant raises for McMann and Laughton.

The NHL’s best teams continuously find players who can contribute meaningful minutes and point totals at a bargain rate. 

Don’t for a minute think McMann wouldn’t get Marchment-level money from a team on the open market. McMann’s speed, physical game and finishing skill make him very valuable. So, unless Treliving uses McMann in a trade for a big-name offensive contributor, he can’t allow McMann to walk away for nothing in return this summer. 

If he did, that would be terrible asset management from Treliving, and he must know Leafs fans wouldn’t let him live it down if McMann moved on and thrived in another market.

Paying McMann triple what he’s presently making might not sit well with some Leafs fans, but the alternative – trading him or letting him leave this summer – will not sit well with more Leafs fans. 

With every goal he scores this season, McMann is boosting his negotiating leverage. But if he agrees to a new deal, McMann will almost certainly be worth the money.

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