About two weeks ago on Oilers Now, Bob Stauffer mentioned the forward, with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman agreeing that he’d look good on the roster. From there, the rumour took on a life of its own, with The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta also corroborating the rumour. Additionally, McMann is ranked as an “obvious trade candidate” in Daily Faceoff’s most recent trade board.

The big question is how well does McMann fit on the Oilers? In this article, we’ll look at how McMann fits the Oilers roster, whether the Oilers can afford his cap hit, as well as his potential cost.

McMann’s Fit

There’s a lot to like about McMann. He’s capable of scoring 20+ goals, he’s fast, has size, and can play up and down the lineup. Born in Wainwright, Alberta, the left-shot winger has had a strong season, scoring 19 goals and 32 points in 56 games. That’s on pace for 27 goals and 46 points over the course of 82 games and is an improvement over his 20 goals and 34 points in 74 games last season.

The Oilers needs ahead of the deadline are pretty simple. They need a top nine winger who is capable of playing in the top six, a third-line right-shot centre, and a right-shot defenceman. McMann fits the first category, as he’d likely play on the Oilers’ third line, but has played significant minutes in the Leafs’ top six.

McMann could replace Kasperi Kapanen on Leon Draisaitl’s wing, given both players are physical, speedy types. Kapanen was named by Friedman as a player who is accepting of a bottom-six role, and having that type of depth scoring on the third and fourth line is incredible valuable. McMann has played in the Leafs bottom six in the past, but has also emerged as a legitimate middle-six option.

He’d certainly be a fit on the Oilers roster, but what about his cap hit?

McMann’s cap hit

As it stands, the Oilers have about $2.89 million in cap space, but will be just under $2 million over the cap hit once Adam Henrique is activated off the long-term injured reserve. Any move ahead of the deadline will require the Oilers to move some money, which essentially means Andrew Mangiapane and his cap hit of $3.6 million will need to be moved.

The good news is that McMann’s cap hit is affordable. A pending unrestricted free agent, the 29-year-old has a cap hit of just $1.35 million, a cap hit which the Oilers can add without a roster move (barring Henrique stays on the LTIR).

Acquiring McMann would allow the Oilers to potentially add another player, perhaps another Leaf like Nicolas Roy or Oliver Ekman-Larsson, two other players who the Oilers have been linked to recently.

McMann’s cost of acquisition

In Friedman and Stauffer’s conversation, Stauffer believed a second-round pick and a prospect would get it done. However, in Friedman’s most recent 32 Thoughts for Sportsnet, he reported that the Leafs are looking for a first round pick for the pending UFA.

Due to the Jake Walman trade last season, the Oilers are without their 2026 first round pick but have both their 2027 and 2028 first rounders. Additionally, they have their second-round pick for the next three seasons.

In terms of prospects, you’d have to imagine the Oilers prefer not to trade Ike Howard or Quinn Hutson, as they both figure to be a part of their 2026-27 roster. Roby Järventie, Viljami Marjala, Beau Akey, David Lewandowski, and Tommy Lafrenière all could be options to send to the Leafs if a prospect + a second-rounder is enough.

The Leafs are six points out of a playoff spot and it looks like the re-tool is going to begin once the Olympic break is over. McMann’s versatility and ability to score 20+ goals a season would be beneficial for the Oilers.