The first game against an old team usually comes with a little extra noise. For Kraken winger Bobby McMann, Tuesday’s media session with Toronto reporters brought that noise by zoom instead of by the locker-room stall.
Toronto’s beat writers couldn’t get to the practice rink, so Seattle arranged a virtual interview with McMann ahead of Wednesday night’s matchup against the Maple Leafs at Climate Pledge Arena. What was supposed to be a one-off chat ended up being a visit with the visiting media only, and it centered on a familiar theme: McMann’s jump from hockey-crazed Toronto to Seattle’s newer, still-growing scene.
McMann, 30, is in the first year of the six-year deal he signed in June, a contract that pays him $5.75-million per season. The undrafted winger was acquired from Toronto on March 6, and his strong start in Seattle helped put him on that path to the big payday. He came out hot with 14 points in 18 games, though most of that damage came in his first 10 outings.
The move has given McMann a firsthand look at two very different hockey environments, and he made it clear he’s felt the contrast.
“The size of the city and the number of people that are hockey fans there is definitely a bigger, wider spread fan base, and you feel that, but it’s been cool coming to Seattle because I think so many people are excited about how new this team is,” he said. “The energy in our rink has been exceptional. I think this team feeds off that energy, we feel that, there’s been a really nice home crowd, I felt coming here that’s been super special, and that’s been propelling us at the start of the season.”
McMann’s ties to Toronto run deep, but the roster he left behind looks different now. The Leafs have been reshaped under new management, and many of the teammates he knew best from his days in the organization are no longer there. He originally joined Toronto at the American Hockey League level in 2020.
On the ice, the numbers have leveled off a bit from his early surge. McMann has three goals and two assists in 12 games so far this season. Even so, Seattle sits third in the Pacific Division at 7-4-1, while Toronto holds the same position in the Atlantic at 7-5-2.
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The penalty kill spent plenty of time under pressure, and the late stages turned into a test of patience as the teams traded momentum and lead changes. In the end, the difference came from the blue line again, with Brandon Montour finishing off the kind of wild finish that can leave a room buzzing long after the final horn. [Read more 🡒]
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Lane Lambert had reason to like the way his group handled the game at 5-on-5, and Philipp Grubauer backed that up by giving up only one even-strength goal. It was the kind of finish Seattle can build on, especially after a homestand that kept testing the teams composure all the way to the closing minutes. [Read more 🡒]
Kraken Just Got A Clear Look At Torontos Biggest Problem
The Maple Leafs got a timely boost from Gavin McKenna in their recent game, as he scored twice on the power play and offered a glimpse of how well he can work alongside Auston Matthews. For a team still sorting through its identity early enough in the season, those kinds of flashes matter, especially when the top end of the roster can look dangerous in the kind of structured, special-teams-heavy hockey that travels well.
Even with that wrinkle in their attack, Toronto is still weighing a bigger question in net as it heads toward Vancouver. Sergei Bobrovskys recent play has become part of the conversation, and the staff is considering whether Anthony Stolarz should get another opportunity, a decision that could say plenty about where the Leafs think their steadier option really is right now. [Read more 🡒]