Coming into the 2024–25 NHL season, Bobby McMann being tied for first on the team in goals and second in points was not something most had on their Toronto Maple Leafs bingo card, yet as of week two, here we are. McMann is truly showing that he can provide much more than his undrafted status would lead you to believe in just his second full season with the Leafs, and it has truly been a welcome sight to see for Leafs Nation.
The McMannimal’s fiery start
McMann’s start to the season wasn’t the best, in that he didn’t even play during the club’s opening game. He was not out of the lineup due to injury, instead a healthy scratch in what would end up being a 1–0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 9. However, once McMann was slotted in for the team’s next game—an Oct. 10 tilt with the New Jersey Devils—the 28-year-old McMann made his presence felt, scoring just over halfway through the first period, giving the Buds a 2–0 lead. The team would go on to take that game 4–2, but that was only the beginning for McMann.
Skipping past a scoreless performance in a Leafs win against the Penguins on Oct. 12, McMann came into the team’s Wednesday night matchup against the Los Angeles Kings ready to light it up, and that’s exactly what the ‘McMannimal’ did. McMann opened the scoring just under seven minutes into the game with a well-placed shot through traffic in the slot off of a deflected pass from Max Domi. Then, with just under three minutes left in the opening period, McMann struck again with a smooth shot over the pad of Kings goalie David Rittich after a great pass from Nylander found McMann alone in front.
The Leafs would go on to win the game 6–2 and McMann, deservedly so, was named the first star for his two-goal effort. His praise goes beyond the on-ice accolades and fan response as McMann’s teammates have clearly taken notice, including star captain Auston Matthews who was asked postgame about McMann’s play this season.
“He just looks hungry out there and he’s making plays and making good on his opportunities,” said Matthews. “He’s an easy guy to play with, works extremely hard on both ends of the puck, so it’s great to see him get rewarded.”
From undrafted to waivers to offensive weapon
McMann has not always been the goal scorer that we’ve seen through three games this season, and he was actually written off early in his career. The Leafs forward was undrafted before he signed a two-year AHL contract with the Toronto Marlies in April of 2020. He put up solid numbers in the AHL—most notably 24 goals and 35 points in the 2021–22 season—and in April of 2022 he signed a two-year entry-level two-way deal with the Leafs.
His first season of the deal saw him spend most of his time in the AHL while also battling injuries. In October of 2023, McMann was placed on waivers by the Leafs, which he ultimately cleared. He then spent the majority of his time with the NHL club that year, but once again missed time due to a lower-body injury which eventually led to him missing the team’s entire first-round series against the Bruins in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
That brings us to his play this season, and as I’ve said, it has been stellar thus far. Last season, McMann put up an impressive 15 goals and 24 points in 56 games—great numbers for someone who seemingly came out of nowhere—but if he can keep up his current scoring and avoid injury, McMann is on pace to rack up 60 goals in 2024–25. While he won’t rerach that number, McMann has definitely put himself on the right path to at least improve on his previous totals.
We are so used to top draft picks becoming stars in the league, whether it be first overall selections like Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews or more recently Connor Bedard. But if McMann can defy the odds and keep up his pace, we could see him join the ranks of other current undrafted success stories like Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky and Jonathan Marchessault. The great Wayne Gretzky was also technically undrafted, but this was due to a personal services agreement with the Oilers which allowed him to be signed by them after the WHA and NHL merger.
It’s definitely no guarantee that McMann will rise to that sort of level, and it’s not even a certainty that he will become a crucial part of the Leafs squad this season. But for now, I for one am excited to see just how far the undrafted McMan can take his game in 2024–25.
