Yahoo Sports 'Am I Going To Feel Good Today?': Bobby McMann Looking to Put Injury Issues Behind Him with Strong Maple Leafs Training Camp
Bobby McMann is eager to hit the ground running this season with a healthy body.
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The last two seasons have been a rollercoaster for the 28-year-old. McMann signed his first NHL deal with the Maple Leafs in Apr. 2022, after breaking the Toronto Marlies' rookie goal record with 24 goals in 61 AHL games.
The forward made his NHL debut on Jan. 11, 2023, in a game against the Nashville Predators where he had 11:02 of ice time. Two months later, though, McMann reaggravated an injury he suffered with the Marlies, which kept him out the remainder of the season.
He got more of a full-time look with the Maple Leafs last season, playing 56 games with the club, and scoring 15 goals and nine assists in that span. However, once again, an injury arose. McMann suffered an MCL sprain on Apr. 13 against the Detroit Red Wings, forcing him to miss the end of the regular season and the playoffs.
On Saturday, McMann confirmed that he was "close" to returning to Toronto's lineup in the postseason, but with the Maple Leafs' Game 7 loss to the Boston Bruins, the comeback didn't occur.
The forward is roaring to get training camp moving after a long — and healthy — summer.
"Yeah, it's exciting. I think the previous years, especially last year, I was battling just to feel healthy, and every day I was just kind of worrying about, 'Am I going to feel good today?' McMann said. "This summer and this year, it's like, 'How can I get better? How can I work on things? How can I improve my game to contribute?'"
In his first fully healthy summer in a couple of years, McMann says he focused on constructing his game around what's already worked for him and then going from there.
"That's just building a little bit of the east-west game, finding guys laterally, playing a little bit more cerebral," he said, "but making sure that I stick with what's been working and playing hard and physical and fast."
McMann has skated on a line with John Tavares and Nick Robertson in the early days of Maple Leafs training camp. It's a trio that's familiar with each other, having played on a line together at some point over the last few years.
Tavares said on Saturday that he's noticed growth in McMann's game, in terms of his confidence with and without the puck.
"Bobby's really kind of impacted the game really well for us in the second half of the year last year and came on and established his game," Tavares said.
"And you can see a lot of growth there, maturity and belief in how he can do that. And I think we communicate a lot, talk a lot and have a really good feel for how we play. So that's a big part of chemistry and whatnot."
That's not the only player who's offered praise about McMann. Auston Matthews, too, spoke glowingly about the forward on Friday, saying he's a player who caught the captain's eye early in Maple Leafs training camp.
"You can just see him and Kniesy (Matthew Knies) are kind of similar players and just the way they, how strong they are and big and the skill set that they have to go along with it," Matthew said.
All eyes will be on McMann throughout this training camp. His strength, speed, and shot can make him a huge threat with the Maple Leafs, playing somewhere in the middle-six.
Staying healthy will be one of the main focuses, but with a few preseason games approaching, McMann's going to try and do everything he can to leave a lasting impression on new Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube.
"I think what's most important is we're keeping each other accountable and holding each other to a high standard, and I think that that hasn't changed."
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