The Blue Jackets should look to sign this Kraken forward if he becomes a free agent.
Following the 2026 NHL trade deadline, The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta reported that the Columbus Blue Jackets were among the teams that targeted forward Bobby McMann before he was traded by the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Seattle Kraken.
The Blue Jackets' interest in McMann ahead of the deadline was understandable, as he was one of the NHL's top forward trade candidates. The Blue Jackets were also fighting to make the playoffs, which, unfortunately, did not come to fruition.
While the Blue Jackets did not land McMann ahead of the deadline, he is a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA). Due to this, if McMann ends up testing the market instead of extending with the Kraken, the Blue Jackets would be wise to try to sign him.
The Blue Jackets could use another forward who provides strong secondary scoring and grit in their top nine. Signing a player like McMann would provide them with just that, and his stats from this season demonstrate that. In 77 games this season split between Toronto and Seattle, McMann set new career highs with 29 goals, 17 assists, 46 points, and 165 hits. With numbers like these, he would be a big pickup for the Blue Jackets if signed.
Ultimately, with the Blue Jackets needing to upgrade their forward group, bringing in a hard-nosed scorer like McMann would make sense for them. Therefore, if he hits the market, the Blue Jackets should strongly consider pursuing him.