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![\"Seattle](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/69b645668b2785e03f05241bjpeg.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSeattle Kraken’s Bobby McMann, right, and Shane Wright celebrate McMann’s goal as Vancouver Canucks’ Aatu Raty (54) looks on during the first period of an NHL hockey game, in Vancouver, on Saturday, March 14, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Darryl Dyck<\/p>\n
McMann made a great impression on the score sheet, tallying two goals and an assist as the Kraken (30-26-9) thumped the Vancouver Canucks 5-2.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes things go your way a little bit more than other nights and, luckily, that was tonight for me,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was a fun one. It\u2019s always nice to get the win, and then when you contribute, it makes it that much better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seattle acquired the 29-year-old athlete from Toronto ahead of the NHL\u2019s trade deadline on March 6 in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2026 draft and a conditional second-round selection in 2027.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was a sizable change for McMann, who went undrafted before signing with the Maple Leaves as a free agent in April 2022.<\/p>\n
He played 199 regular-season games for Toronto, amassing 52 goals and 36 assists, and added another three assists over 13 playoff appearances in last season.<\/p>\n
Saturday marked McMann\u2019s first game since March 2. The Leafs opted to sit him ahead of the deadline and, after the trade, the native of Wainwright, Alta., waited a full week for his work visa before finally slotting into the Kraken\u2019s lineup on Saturday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The new addition was quick to make an impact.\u00a0<\/p>\n
McMann\u2019s first of the night \u2014 and 20th of the season \u2014 came 19:10 into the first period when he beat Vancouver netminder Nikita Tolopilo with a sharp-angle shot on a power play.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought (Shane Wright) tipped it maybe because I didn\u2019t know if that one was going in with the shot that I had,\u201d he said. \u201cSo it was more of a pass to him, but I think it just fooled the goalie because I think he just missed it kind of thing, and trickled in.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added another tally early in the third, becoming the first player to score multiple goals in his debut for the Kraken.<\/p>\n
McMann added speed to Seattle\u2019s top line, which also includes centre Matty Beniers and captain Jordan Eberle, said head coach Lane Lambert.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou saw it right away, first shift when he\u2019s tracking the puck and he\u2019s got a ton of speed and it\u2019s a welcome addition for us from that standpoint,\u201d he said. \u201cObviously the goals he scored, he had a real good chance to make it three as well. I think it went off the knob of the goalie there. But he played well.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not only the six-foot-two forward\u2019s speed that helps, said Beniers, but his physicality, too.<\/p>\n
And Saturday was just the beginning, he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs time goes on, you play more and more with a guy, you start to realize their tendencies, where they go on the ice, what they like to do with the puck,\u201d Beniers said. \u201cSo, you keep learning but pretty good start.\u201d<\/p>\n
SKID SNAPPED<\/p>\n
The result snapped Seattle\u2019s four-game losing skid and moved the Kraken to within one point of the Western Conference\u2019s second wild-card playoff spot.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The stretch of losses was tough to take for a team that\u2019s hoping to contend this post-season, said winger Jared McCann.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard to get out of, I feel like, especially when you have times where you\u2019re playing great and you\u2019re still losing,\u201d he said. \u201cI think that\u2019s the most frustrating part. But it\u2019s a long season, you\u2019re going to have ups and downs. You just got to try to stay level headed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think when we were losing, the pressure was building, and we had a good talk before the game tonight, just kind of play a little more free and create with the puck, and it was able to show tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n