Maple Leafs learn what trade cost is for Bobby McMann

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Maple Leafs learn what trade cost is for Bobby McMann originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Assuming the Toronto Leafs do some selling before the NHL's March 6 trade deadline, Bobby McMann is a logical candidate.

He's in the final year of his contract, and he's got a minimal cap hit that won't make it hard for another team to acquire him.

Add into that the fact that McMann is having a career year, and he's definitely a moveable asset.

The Maple Leafs will certainly want to take advantage of those factors to get a strong return from a contender.

In his latest trade board, Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos broke this down further, explaining the variance between a potential first-round return compared to multiple early-round picks after the first.

"It's debatable what his price tag is. A lot of people have talked about Toronto getting a first-rounder back, but one Western Conference team told me they just don't view him as a legitimate top-six guy," Kypreos wrote. "He can play in the top-six, but some teams just don't see him as a surefire player in that position. Players who are definite top-six upgrades pull first-rounders in trades, but usually not a winger who only has good stretches there. But all it takes is for one team to offer that up, so McMann's real value is debatable. Many teams would rather give something in the ballpark to what San Jose gave Vancouver for Kiefer Sherwood (two seconds or a second and a third)."

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If the Leafs don't get an offer they love, they could always look to extend McMann. That comes with the risk of losing him for nothing if none of the negotiations work out, though.

"As much as Toronto would like to keep him and re-sign him for something around $4 million, the probability is that the Leafs will miss the playoffs and they can't sit on this asset and risk losing him for nothing," Kypreos writes.

Toronto could always try to re-sign McMann in the summer if he makes it to free agency.

For now, expect his name to be one of the most popular in trade rumors.

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