Is there a trade cooking between the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs?
Could the Edmonton Oilers capitalize on a flailing Toronto Maple Leafs team ahead of the trade deadline?
Things couldn’t be going worse for the Leafs. They’ve lost three games in a row and are now eight points back of a playoff spot. Tuesday night’s 7-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres seemed to hammer the nail in their coffin, stirring up speculation that Toronto could be sellers at this year’s deadline.
If that is the case, a few intriguing names could be up for grabs for Oilers GM Stan Bowman to pounce on. That is exactly what 880 CHED’s Bob Stauffer and NHL insider Elliotte Friedman talked about on Tuesday’s edition of OilersNow.
The duo threw out forward Bobby McMann’s name as a player who would look very good in an Oilers uniform and would fit what the team is looking for.
“Alberta guy, fast, competitive guy, he’d look good on [the Oilers’] roster,” Friedman said. “I like the way he plays, I think he’d be a really nice fit [in Edmonton].”
Edmonton is reportedly targeting a top-nine forward who can help out with depth scoring. With the relative lack of centre options and the possibility that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins can slide back into that role, the Oilers may go after a winger.
The 29-year-old McMann fits that mould perfectly for Edmonton. He’s a speedy forward who can find the back of the net and is not afraid to go to the greasy areas of the ice. McMann also plays a physical game, which is lacking at the top of Edmonton’s roster.
In many ways, he feels like the type of player that the Oilers thought they were getting when they inked Trent Frederic to that big contract extension last summer.
The Alberta native has been a bright spot for a miserable Maple Leafs squad, notching 17 goals and 29 points in 52 games. That would put him fourth in goals on the Oilers and sixth in points.
He also wouldn’t cost much against the cap, carrying a measly $1.35 million cap hit before he becomes a UFA this summer. Friedman said he believes the Leafs have had some “preliminary discussions” about extending McMann, but that doesn’t rule out a potential trade.
So, what would the Oilers need to give up in a trade for McMann? Stauffer speculated that the initial ask from Toronto could be a second-round draft pick alongside a prospect. For Edmonton, that could mean parting ways with a recently drafted prospect like Tommy Lafreniere, David Lewandowski, or maybe even Beau Akey.
Though there are plenty of other options that could be dangled. It feels unlikely they would move a player like Quinn Hutson or Ike Howard in a trade like this.
It’s been a while since the Maple Leafs were selling off assets at the deadline, and the Oilers would be remiss if they didn’t at least take a look at what they have to offer.
McMann does, however, check off a lot of boxes for this Oilers team.