Maple Leafs’ Bobby McMann ‘Progressing Well’ but Deemed ‘Not Available’ for Must-Win Game 6 Against Bruins
McMann has been out of action since April 13 with a lower-body injury.
Bobby McMann remains out of action and will not be available to the Toronto Maple Leafs when the club hosts the Boston Bruins in a must-win Game 6.
McMann, the 27-year-old forward, has been sidelined with a lower-body injury that he obtained in a 5-4 loss against the Detroit Red Wings back on Apr. 13. As Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman noted, McMann was accompanied by Auston Matthews, who was also present before the Leafs’ practice got underway.
As McMann has given the Leafs a boost on offense this season with career-high numbers across the board, his absence over the last seven contests has been a piece to the puzzle that the team has desperately been missing. To further put this into perspective, the last time the Leafs scored more than three goals in a playoff game was April 20th, 2023 in a 7-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 2 of their first-round series – a 14-game drought since then.
Before going down with an injury, McMann was poised to succeed playing on the Leafs’ second line with John Tavares and Mitch Marner on the left wing. Throughout the season, McMann has been valued as a reliable depth scorer for the Maple Leafs, finishing the regular season with 15 goals and nine assists, earning a career-high in points (24) and games played (56).
Simply put, Head Coach Sheldon Keefe felt fairly confident ahead of the 2023-24 postseason before adjustments had to be made with the subtraction of Bobby McMann, William Nylander, and Auston Matthews – all three of whom had career-best years. With the series shifting back to Toronto for Game 6, Keefe provided an update on the status of McMann.
“We felt pretty strongly and confidently in the group and the plan that we had coming in. And then all of a sudden, Bobby McMann, you lose coming in. And then Willy and Auston,” said Keefe.
Upon mentioning Auston Matthews’ unavailability for Game 6, Keefe stated that “Bobby's also not available. But as you're seeing, he's progressing, progressing well.”
McMann’s stellar play earned him a two-year $2.7 million contract extension through the 2025-2026 season that he signed back on Mar. 13. It’s a positive sign to see McMann back on the ice, but his availability is still yet to be determined if the series is pushed to a seventh game.
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