Following the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, it was announced that Bobby McMann has been suspended for one game.
The Toronto Maple Leafs Winger has been suspended for one game for a two-handed slash to the head of Lightning forward Oliver Bjorkstrand in retaliation for a cross-check McMann took in a scrum. He will miss the game against the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night.
He was assessed a five-minute match penalty for the slash after the scrum, which also saw Dakota Joshua get into his first fight as a Leaf.
McMann has played 29 games this season, posting eight goals and six assists for 14 points. He has been a big part of the recent success of the third line during this hot stretch of games for the Leafs.
What does this mean for the Leafs?
Berube wasn't pleased with the call from the officials, saying in the post-game, "I'll take a look at it. I don't know, I mean, I had a tough time with that, to be honest with you." With McMann's absence, Berube will have to make some changes to the forward group.
Before the Lightning game, he made a lineup decision that many, including myself, were very critical of, inserting Jarnkrok into the lineup and making Nick Robertson a healthy scratch.
Why is Robertson scratched? Jarnkrok brings nothing to the lineup and Robertson has been fine.
— Matteo Giuliano (@MatteoG29_) December 8, 2025
Berube will now have the option to play Robertson and Jarnkrok in Wednesday night's game against the Sharks. We could also potentially see the reinsertion of Mattias Maccelli, who has been a healthy scratch for the last five games.
Robertson does have a reputation for scoring every time he is reinserted into the lineup after being a scratch, but it's tough that they need to readjust the bottom six.
In my last article, I outlined how players in the bottom six had scored 10 goals in the previous four games. That is now 10 goals in the last five after last night, but they still had a strong game against the Lightning.
If Berube decides to bring Maccelli or Robertson into the lineup, I wonder if we'll see Cowan dropped down to the third line and Maccelli or Robertson put in his spot. The Cowan-Tavares-Nylander line has been struggling, so I think that would be part of Berube's decision-making.
It looked like Berube found the best line combinations they've had all season in this last stretch of hockey, so we'll have to see if the rejigging of the lineup has any effect on the team.