The trade deadline is closer than most people realize. The Edmonton Oilers last game before the March six deadline, will be on March three versus the Ottawa Senators. With the Olympic Break in February, the Oilers only play five games that month. So, they are seven games away from the most anticipated day of the regular season.
The Oilers desperately need a left winger with some speed, offensive potential and forechecking ability to play in the top-nine. Morever, if they play Ryan Nugent-Hopkins with Connor McDavid on the first line, they need a third-line centre. There’s a team out East who are surely going to miss the playoffs and have two players in particular who can address both roles. That team is the Toronto Maple Leafs with forwards Nicholas Roy and Bobby McMann filling those roles.
I touched on both these players during my deadline preview article last month, for those who haven’t read it or need a refresher on who these guys are, here you go:
Bobby McMann
Bobby McMann is a 6’2”, 217 lb, Wainwright, Alberta-product. His main tendacies as a player is being a speedy forechecker that gets the puck to his best players on the team, kinda like a mini Zach Hyman.
McMann has spent a ton of time in the past with Auston Matthews, and recently has been on his wing over the last stretch for the Leafs. McMann is already at 17 goals this season, with 20 being his career high. While it is a bit of a shooting heater, McMann has shown he’s capable of being a solid finisher throughout his career.
Here is the history of McMann’s finishing:
| Season | Expected Goals | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 10.9 | 15 |
| 2024-25 | 17 | 20 |
| 2025-26 | 11.7 | 17 |
Per NHLEdge, McMann is ranked second in the league in max skating speed. That’s a pretty remarkable achievement and having him on the LW with McDavid would terrorize the opponents. His analytical numbers don’t look pretty, boasting a 47.6, 48.59, and a 49.7 xG% over the last three seasons; he’s always overperformed those numbers where he has a 51.43, 60, and a 47.7 GF%. It’s worth noting just a few weeks ago, his GF% was at a 60+, and the Leafs team as a whole has been horrendous to start this calendar year, so I do not think it’s an alarming stat. McMann also throws the body around, where he previously had 136 and 115 hits, and is currently on pace for 182 this season. He currently has 113.
There’s already been rumours of linking Edmonton and with him having a cheap cap hit and a UFA, I think this would be a great fit. You’re probably looking in the middle of the Mason Marchment/Kiefer Sherwood returns, a second + another pick (possibly a third).
Nicholas Roy
Nick Roy is a prototypical bottom-six centre. Oiler fans know him pretty well. Roy was a part of the Vegas Golden Knights from 2019 until 2025 and played the Oilers in the playoffs in 2023 and 2025. He’s not fast at all but he is a very, very good shutdown centre who can pinch a bit of offence, and he’s a right-hand shot!
While he is only on pace for a career six goals, he’s on pace for another 30-point season, which for a $3M cap hit, isn’t bad at all. Bob Stauffer has alluded to the Oilers being interested in Roy where he said in November, “right-handed centres on a team who was expected to make the playoffs but aren’t” and even said after the Leafs hot streak, “I think the player the Oilers wanted will make the playoffs now.” Suddenly the idea of Roy being available is back on the table due to the Leafs recent falloff.
Roy hovered around the 52 xG% mark during his time in Vegas, but that has since cratered to 45.5% with the Leafs. But again, the Leafs as a team this season have been awful. The Leafs’ defensively have been bottom of pretty much every category you can think of.
I think the price for Roy could be high, like in the Scott Laughton range from last season where he was dealt for a first and Nikita Grebenkin. I, personally, wouldn’t bid that high, but a team will 100%. I think both of these guys can be fits in Edmonton, but Bobby McMann is the one that intrigues me the most.
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