'I Wanted To Add A Little More Speed': Why Bobby McMann Moved Up To Maple Leafs' Second Line With John Tavares And William Nylander Against Flyers

Bobby McMann is getting another opportunity on the Toronto Maple Leafs' second line with John Tavares and William Nylander.

The forward was moved up to the line on Tuesday ahead of the team's game against the Philadelphia Flyers inside the Wells Fargo Center.

With Ryan Reaves re-entering the Maple Leafs' lineup and Nick Robertson coming out of the forward group, Max Pacioretty and Steven Lorentz shift to the third line with Max Domi.

The whole point of the shift, according to Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube, is to add more speed into Toronto's top six. And McMann, who's often known for his quick skating, will bring that element to the second line.

"I wanted to add a little bit more speed to the Tavares line," Berube said on Tuesday morning. "And Bobby's been playing really well and I know that that line of Max Domi, Bobby and Robby (Nick Robertson) have been really good for us. But Robby's not in tonight so just moving guys around a little bit."

The trio of McMann, Tavares, and Nylander haven't played much together this season. But when they have skated on a line with one another, it's been positive. In 21:37 of ice time at five-on-five, the trio has a 69.39 xGF%, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.

The line has also out-chanced their opposition 17-8 when they've been on the ice together this season.

"Yeah, just exceptional players," McMann said of the opportunity to play on a line with them again. "Try to get them the puck, get in on the forecheck. Nothing really changes from my game. It's just competing hard, trying to win battles, and get the puck on our stick."

Ever since he found his footing in the AHL, McMann's speed has always been a threat. Over the years, the 28-year-old has gotten quicker and quicker. Even more so, McMann ranks in the 90th percentile for the top skating speed in the league, per NHL EDGE.

Related: Maple Leafs' Bobby McMann Among NHL Leaders In Ridiculous Goal-Scoring Stat

His top speed this season is 23.01 miles per hour, which he got up to on Sunday in Toronto's 3-2 win over the Flyers. McMann clocked in once at 23.45 miles per hour and was ranked in the 95th percentile last season.

The forward says he's spent a lot of time in the summer working on his speed and is being mindful of when to, and to not, use it.

"A lot of the summer is spent trying to get that speed up and trying to build on that," McMann said. "And then, during the season it's just using it in appropriate times because you can't go 100% your entire shift the whole game. You've got to pick your spots and try and optimize that speed at the best times."

McMann has 12 goals and five assists for 17 points in 33 games this season. He's on pace to finish the season with 27 goals, 12 more than his current career-high of 15, which McMann had in 56 games last year.

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