The Toronto Maple Leafs are rewarding one of their organizational depth players, recalling Bobby McMann from the minor leagues. T.J. Brodie has been moved to injured reserve after missing the last game with an undisclosed injury.
McMann, 26, has never been recalled previously, having only signed his first NHL contract last April. The undrafted forward out of the AJHL played four years at Colgate University and then spent parts of two season in the ECHL before finding a permanent home with the Toronto Marlies last year. In 61 games he scored 24 goals, and was routinely called out by the organizations a player who could battle for a fourth-line role in the NHL.
After another strong start this season – McMann has 15 points in 17 games – he’ll finally get his chance at the NHL. Whether the left-shot forward actually gets into the lineup is a different story, though the Maple Leafs have had a bit of a moving target for their fourth line so far. Dryden Hunt, Wayne Simmonds, and even Zach-Aston Reese at times have come out of the lineup, potentially opening a door for McMann to make his debut.
Still, he’ll be the 14th forward on the roster, so unless someone else is dealing with an injury this could just be a reward for strong play. McMann will earn a lot more while in the NHL, and the Maple Leafs are already in long-term injury relief, meaning they can’t accrue extra cap space for the deadline.