Now out west, McMann talks where it went south for Leafs

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McMann pieced together what went wrong in Toronto in an interview

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Published Mar 11, 2026 • Last updated 11 hours ago • 4 minute read

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Former Toronto Maple Leafs winger Bobby McMann battles for the puck against the Winnipeg Jets earlier this year. Photo by John Woods /The Canadian PressArticle content

There was a time when negativity never could affect Bobby McMann.

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Having fought his way up the NHL food chain, undrafted, through two minor leagues to first-line winger on the big-market Maple Leafs, McMann envisioned a lengthy career at Scotiabank Arena.

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But the same malaise that spread through the dressing room took down the Leafs and saw the UFA traded to Seattle for draft picks last Friday while Toronto fell out of the playoffs.

McMann, whose Kraken debut is on hold until issues with his work visa are resolved, scored 39 goals in the past two seasons for the Leafs and pieced together what went wrong in Toronto in an interview with The Athletic published on Wednesday.

ON WHAT WENT WRONG WITH THE TEAM THIS SEASON

“We had a lot of key players out early in the season (both goalies, plus Chris Tanev, Brandon Carlo, and shorter stints minus William Nylander and Auston Matthews). You’re not winning as much and then you get those players back and it’s like, ‘OK, we should be good.’

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“But sometimes, the team isn’t clicking where you want it to. Then you start trying to change things up a bit, instead of trusting the system, trying to change the approach to the game. Whether that’s systems, line combinations, guys trying to do different things on the ice because we’re not finding success individually, you start to deviate from the game plan.

“Every team in this league is so exceptionally good that when you’re not working as a cohesive unit all the time and you’re disconnected, things can start to go south pretty quickly. I think guys were maybe overthinking things a little bit too much — ‘how do we get this back?’ — rather than trusting the process in place at the start of the year.”

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Play VideoIS TORONTO A MORE DIFFICULT PLACE TO PLAY?

“Yeah, it can be. When things aren’t going well, it’s that much harder.

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“We’re all human, and I think all NHL players at times get put on a pedestal. Everybody lets things get to them to a certain extent, some more than others.

“When things aren’t going well, a lot of us are so critical of ourselves already that when you start hearing it from media, people around town, the people that you aren’t as connected to, oftentimes you try and brush it off. But it’s hard because you’re human, and eventually it gets to you, starts to wear on you. And you also understand the magnitude of the Leafs in that city and how important hockey is there.

“So I think a lot of the guys who were really big competitors wear that on their shoulders, wear the weight of the city on their shoulders because of how important the sport is there.”

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WAS THAT PRESSURE EVEN HARDER IN THE PLAYOFFS?

“So many people are riding on these playoffs, wanting us to do well and that’s great and it feels so good to be there. That’s why it’s such a cool place to play and that’s why I love playing in that city. Everything mattered, people were paying attention to every little thing.

“But there’s the other side of it where you wear a lot of that pressure on yourself to try and bring success for that city. I feel like I tried not to as much as possible. But inevitably I did, especially in playoffs (no goals, three assists in in 13 games). Our (two-round) run, I really felt even more that the city’s watching,”

AFTER BEING A HEALTHY SCRATCH FOR TWO GAMES PRIOR TO THE DEADLINE, HOW DID THE TRADE GO DOWN?

“I wanted to stay a little longer (an extension was being discussed in tandem with trade talk). That wasn’t happening.

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“(I was) just hanging out, watching my phone, watching other guys get traded. People probably knew more online and on Twitter than I knew.”

HOW HARD WAS IT SAYING GOODBYE TO FRIENDS?

(The break-up with McMann and Scott Laughton was in the cards at Pearson Airport the night before the deadline when the Leafs flew home from New York. McMann was closest to defenceman Simon Benoit, goalie Joseph Woll, and forward Matthew Knies):

“There’s never a bad time for a hug. Those relationships will last a lifetime. Sometimes people underestimate the importance of good character and good people and the effectiveness that has a long career.

“I had to fight my way into a (2022-23) call-up, then I was just trying to stick around. I appreciated every opportunity I got there. Everything was put in front of me, I just had to grab it. I don’t have any regrets about the time and work I put in there.”

Lhornby@postmedia.com

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