Seattle Kraken center Jared McCann still has a strange little footnote attached to his name in Toronto, even though he never actually suited up for the Maple Leafs.
McCann was dealt to the Leafs by the Pittsburgh Penguins in mid-July 2021 for Filip Hallander and a 2023 seventh-round pick, only to be left unprotected and then taken by Seattle in the expansion draft later that month. The whole sequence lasted just a few days, but it ended up sending McCann to the Kraken, where he became a major part of the franchise with a 50-point season followed by a 40-goal, 70-point campaign.
On TSN’s First Up Monday morning, ahead of Zach Hyman's celebrity golf tournament, McCann revisited that wild stretch and the speed with which everything changed.
"I was actually at a buddy's cottage in Grand Bend when I got the call from the GM of Pittsburgh, and he told me that I got traded to Toronto, and it happened really quickly because Kyle (Dubas) called me like 15 minutes later, told me, 'we're going to figure out the expansion draft," McCann explained.
"It turned out kind of different that way, and I went to Seattle pretty quickly. So yeah, I'm still waiting for my jersey," he joked.
McCann said the short-lived Toronto connection still gives his friends something to tease him about, and he described the whole stretch as an emotional blur.
"It was a roller coaster, that 72 hours of getting traded and then the expansion draft, it was a lot.
"I heard from people that I haven't heard from in a long time when I got picked up by the Leafs. I think they were ready for getting some tickets," he said.
Looking back now, McCann called it "a cool experience."
He also talked about another former Maple Leaf now in Seattle, Bobby McMann, who joined the Kraken from Toronto at this past season’s trade deadline. McMann has already made a strong impression, scoring 10 goals and 14 points in 18 appearances before landing a six-year extension worth $5.75 million per season.
"Bobby, obviously, he had a great start for us when he got traded, he's fitting in quite well," McCann said. "We're excited to see what he brings this season."
When asked what stands out most about McMann, McCann didn’t hesitate.
"Speed," he said without hesitating. "Speed, he's got a great shot… it doesn't take him long to get up to full speed."
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