TORONTO – Bobby McMann is headed west.

The struggling Toronto Maple Leafs dealt the winger to the Seattle Kraken for a second-round pick in the 2027 draft and a fourth-round pick in 2026 ahead of Friday’s NHL trade deadline.

Veteran centre Scott Laughton, the other pending unrestricted free agent forward on the roster, is also saying goodbye to Toronto. He was sent to the Los Angeles Kings for a conditional third-round selection in an upcoming draft.

McMann leaves Toronto as a developmental success for the organization. The 29-year-old signed with the club’s American Hockey League affiliate out of the NCAA in 2020 before working his way through the system and making his NHL debut during the 2022-23 season.

A late-bloomer from Wainwright, Alta., McMann put up 19 goals and 13 assists for 32 points in 60 games in 2025-26.

The six-foot-two, 217-pound forward played a total of 200 regular-season games for the Original Six franchise, finishing with 91 points (54 goals, 37 assists) and 121 penalty minutes. McMann added three assists in 13 playoff contests last spring.

McMann, Laughton and defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who’s signed two more seasons, were all held out of Toronto’s lineup Wednesday and Thursday for “roster management purposes” ahead of the deadline.

Sitting eight points out of the final Eastern Conference playoff spot heading into Friday’s action, the Maple Leafs had a brief surge with three straight road wins heading into the Olympic break, but have dropped six straight (0-4-2) to fall eight points back of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Toronto has only been in a post-season spot a total of 48 hours since Nov. 7 and owns a 4-10-4 record since Jan. 12.

Laughton was originally acquired by the Maple Leafs, who will have the third-round pick in the Kings’ trade upgraded to a second if L.A. makes the playoffs, from the Philadelphia Flyers along with a couple of late-round selections ahead of last season’s deadline for forward prospect Nikita Grebenkin and a conditional 2027 first-rounder.

The 31-year-old from nearby Oakville, Ont., had a total of 10 goals and six assists for 16 points in 63 regular-season games with the team he cheered for as a kid.

Laughton, who was selected 20th overall at the 2012 draft, has 281 points (116 goals, 165 assists) and 414 penalty minutes across 724 contests with the Flyers and Maple Leafs. The six-foot-one, 190-pound forward has added 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 37 playoff games.

The Maple Leafs made their first move on Thursday, shipping depth centre Nicolas Roy to the Colorado Avalanche for a conditional 2027 first-round pick along with a fifth in June. The 29-year-old was part of the sign-and-trade deal with Vegas for Mitch Marner last summer that brought the star winger’s long march out of his hometown to a close.

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The Maple Leafs’ stunning slide down the standings came after another training camp filled with promise and talk of end the league’s longest Stanley Cup drought.

Sure, Marner had exited in a disastrous example of asset management — he had a no-movement clause over the final two years of his contract and nixed at least one swap that would have netted Toronto an acceptable return — but there was hope new faces could fill the void by committee.

Roy, Matias Maccelli, and Dakota Joshua were brought in up front. A veteran defence corps remained intact. John Tavares and Matthew Knies had new contracts. Auston Matthews and William Nylander were both healthy. The goaltending duo of Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll were back looking to build on excellent statistical showings.

When the puck dropped in October, things never looked right.

Injuries played a part, but Toronto was simply second-best in too many facets on too many nights. A porous power play, woeful defensive structure, injuries and a seeming lack of effort all played a part a disappointing campaign that has 19 games left on the schedule.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 6, 2026.

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