A Bo Groulx and the Bobby McMann Comparison Makes Sense

Every now and then, a reader makes a comparison that isn't quite right but is interesting enough to stop for a second. The comparison between Bo Groulx and Bobby McMann is one of those.

What do Groulx and McMann have in common?

They aren't the same player, and their careers haven't followed the same path. But there is a connection here that I think is worth considering. Both are bigger forwards who had to spend time proving themselves in the AHL before getting a real NHL opportunity. And both reached a point where the question became: Maybe this guy is more than an AHL player after all.

McMann's story is particularly interesting because he wasn't even drafted. He came out of college, bounced through the ECHL and AHL, and eventually got a real opportunity with the Marlies. At 25, he scored 24 goals in his first full AHL season. Then he kept producing when Toronto gave him a longer look. Eventually, he became a useful middle-six forward who could score, hit and play with some speed.

Groulx has a different background. He was a second-round pick, had a few NHL opportunities with Anaheim that didn't stick, moved through the Rangers organization and eventually landed with Toronto. Then something clicked. He scored 28 goals and 52 points in 59 games with the Marlies before getting his late-season opportunity with the Maple Leafs. In 13 NHL games, he produced five points and brought some energy and physicality to the lineup.

Has Groulx shown enough to get a crack at the Maple Leafs roster?

Now, 13 games is 13 games. That's hardly enough to declare Groulx an NHL regular. The Maple Leafs also added plenty of bottom-six competition this summer, so he's not walking into an open door. But dismissing what he did as simply a "mini hot streak" probably goes too far.

The AHL season matters here. It wasn't like Groulx suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He put together the best offensive season of his professional career and then carried some of that confidence into Toronto.

The comparison with McMann only goes so far. McMann became more of a shooter and net-front threat, while Groulx looks more like a centre who can bring energy, take some faceoffs and potentially help on the penalty kill. McMann also had that undrafted-player chip on his shoulder. Groulx has the advantage—and perhaps the burden—of being a former second-round pick.

Groulx might not be McMann, but he might have the skills to make the roster.

So no, the Maple Leafs shouldn't assume Groulx is the next Bobby McMann. But they shouldn't assume he's not either.

That's the part worth watching when training camp arrives. Sometimes a player needs one good season, one opportunity and a little confidence before everything starts to click. Groulx has earned at least the chance to show whether that is what's happening here.