Kraken contract talks with Bobby McMann take on different tune after Maple Leafs trade

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Kraken contract talks with Bobby McMann take on different tune after Maple Leafs trade originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The implications earlier in June were that Bobby McMann and the Seattle Kraken would be heading toward a potential contract before the winger reached free agency.

It's sounding less likely at this point, though.

David Pagnotta, an NHL insider who writes for The Fourth Period, had an update on that in his latest column.

"An extension with McMann is not close as of today," Pagnotta wrote.

Seattle may have hoped to get a deal done with McMann rather than having him hit the open market and get involved in a bidding war.

The Toronto Maple Leafs, on the flip side, may have hoped when they traded McMann before the deadline that he would eventually reach free agency and have a chance to return.

At least based on this report, McMann isn't out of the picture.

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He's the type of guy who could get a lot of teams bidding for his services this offseason, though. He has continued to ascend as a player, turning himself from an undrafted player into a quality forward who can get the job done all over the ice.

It's probably fair for McMann to pursue a heavy raise, because this is his one chance at a big payday. If the Kraken don't want to pay it, it's hard to blame McMann from wanting to reach free agency.

There's still more than a week until July 1, when free agency opens, so something could still change in Seattle.

But given that the previous reports indicated decent vibes with the Kraken and McMann, and this one seems to suggest less likelihood, it's definitely worth considering the idea that McMann makes it to free agency.

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