The Toronto Maple Leafs signed forward Bobby McMann to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $1.35 million, the team announced Wednesday.

McMann has 10 goals and 18 points in 40 games this season. After clearing waivers to begin the campaign, the 27-year-old has become a fixture in the Maple Leafs' lineup since mid-November.

The Wainwright, Alberta, native has eight goals and 11 points in his last 14 games, highlighted by a hat trick against the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 13.

McMann went undrafted out of the Alberta Junior Hockey League and played four seasons at Colgate University. He signed an AHL contract with the Toronto Marlies in 2020.

The 6-foot-2 winger earned an NHL contract with Toronto in 2022 after scoring 24 goals and 35 points in 61 games, setting the Marlies' record for rookie goals.

McMann was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. He cost $762,500 against the salary cap this season, less than the league minimum of $775,000.

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Headlined by a marquee matchup between two of the best teams in the Western Conference, we have a fun four-game slate on the docket Wednesday night.

Let's take a closer look at a couple of the best ways to attack it.

Capitals (+250) @ Oilers (-290)

The Capitals aren't a very good team. Their recent string of success largely came against bottom-tier opponents and inflated their perceived strength.

Monday's game against the Jets - where we successfully backed Winnipeg to win inside 60 minutes - was the start of a much more difficult stretch for the Capitals. I expect they'll struggle mightily and dip out of the playoff race.

Washington isn't a good defensive team, often putting too much responsibility on its goaltenders to keep the team afloat. The Capitals don't have the offense to outscore their problems, either, sitting 29th in goals per contest this season. That's why it's hardly surprising nine of their last 11 losses have come by two goals or more.

I expect that'll be the case again Wednesday night. The Oilers own a 30-9-2 record since Dec. 1 and have controlled 56.97% of the expected goals share, putting them 0.02% back of the Panthers for the top spot.

Edmonton dominates in terms of shots and chances almost every game, and that should be the case again versus Washington. Given the massive edge the Oilers have in top-tier talent, that should translate into a healthy margin of victory.

Bet: Oilers -1.5 (-115)

Avalanche (+105) @ Canucks (-125)

This game has real potential to be a track meet. The Avalanche are an unstoppable force when they have Valeri Nichushkin and a full arsenal of weapons in the lineup.

The Avs own a 28-11-3 record and have a power-play percentage of over 26% with Nichushkin healthy. Conversely, they're just 13-9-2 and own a 20.8% power-play percentage without Nichushkin.

He recently returned for Colorado, which also bolstered its lineup significantly at the deadline. The Avs are as deep - and healthy - as they've been all season, and they draw a Canucks team missing its star goaltender.

Casey DeSmith owns a .898 save percentage and has lost more games than he's won. Suffice it to say, he's going to have his hands full with this star-studded Avalanche team.

The Canucks should score their share of goals as well. They rank third in the NHL in tallies per game and are especially lethal on home ice. Only the Avalanche, Oilers, Stars, and Lightning have scored more goals per game at home.

Alexandar Georgiev is a competent goaltender, but he hasn't been great this season. He's certainly not immune to a tough night, especially against top competition. Georgiev has conceded four-plus goals in four of his past six starts against teams in playoff position.

With an abundance of star power on the ice for both teams and an underwhelming goaltending matchup, this game should feature plenty of fireworks.

Bet: Over 6.5 (-115)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.

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There are only four games scheduled for Wednesday night, but there's still plenty of value on the board. Let's comb through it.

Mark Scheifele: Over 0.5 assists

Jets head coach Rick Bowness often puts Scheifele in favorable offensive situations on home ice, meaning he generally avoids top lines and pairings and doesn't face the most difficult matchups.

Scheifele has assisted on at least one goal in 59% of his home games this season. That's a massive discrepancy from his 32% hit rate on the road, where he often sees the opposition's best two-way personnel.

Although the Predators are a quality team, Scheifele is well-positioned to create another goal in this game.

At even strength, he's centering Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers, two shot-first players who generate chances at extremely efficient rates. Scheifele will focus more on distributing than shooting at five-on-five, and it'll be the same on the power play.

With newcomer Tyler Toffoli immediately stepping in on the man advantage, the Jets have another legitimate scoring threat on the first power-play outfit. Toffoli, Connor and Sean Monahan - who leads Winnipeg's top unit in chances since joining the team - are all scoring threats.

Scheifele will be surrounded by volume shooters and quality finishers every time he hops over the boards. Expect him to take advantage.

Odds: +125 (playable to +100)

Evander Kane: Over 2.5 shots

Kane is a monster at home, averaging 3.3 shots on 6.2 attempts per game. He's gone over his total at an impressive 67% clip and often clears his line, generating at least four shots on goal in five consecutive hits at home.

He was recently taken off Leon Draisaitl's line and placed on the third unit alongside Adam Henrique. I don't think that's such a bad thing: Henrique's scoring comes from efficiency rather than volume. He's only recorded four shots through three games in Edmonton and often defers to his linemates. Kane should benefit from that.

The matchup looks quite good as well. The Capitals are giving up a lot of shot volume right now, conceding more shot attempts per 60 minutes than all but five teams over their last 10 road contests. Their bottom lines have given up the most volume - and Kane should see a steady dose of them in this spot.

Odds: -125 (playable to -140)

Nathan MacKinnon: Under 4.5 shots

Fading MacKinnon is always a scary proposition, but I see value in it on Wednesday night.

MacKinnon is in a back-to-back against the Canucks. He hasn't fared well in these scenarios this season, averaging just three shots per game while failing to go over his total in all five tries. And Vancouver is a strong shot-suppression team, adding an extra challenge.

Valeri Nichushkin's recent return is a factor as well. MacKinnon has gone over 4.5 shots just 37% of the time with Nichushkin in the lineup, a far cry from the 63% rate he's hit at without the power winger.

Odds: -110 (playable to -130)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.

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Joe Pavelski is opting to take a glass-half-full approach after the Dallas Stars coughed up a three-goal lead in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Florida Panthers.

"For us ... this is a great reminder of what's ahead of us," Pavelski told reporters postgame. "We're going to be in this situation again against good teams in the playoffs (where) you're up by two, you're down by one, the game can't change. You've got to go out and win periods, create momentum, keep moving the game forward.

"We didn't do a good enough job, so we'll look at a few clips ... and take this as a lesson. This won't be a low point for us at all. We'll be looking to right it and be better next time."

The Stars led 3-0 before the midway point of the middle frame and were dominant for the game's first 40 minutes, controlling around 70% of the expected goals at all strengths while holding a 16-2 edge in high-danger chances, according to Natural Stat Trick.

Sam Reinhart got Florida on the board with a power-play tally before the second intermission, which wound up being the first of four unanswered goals for the Panthers. The Cardiac Cats scored three times in the game's final 10 minutes to secure the comeback victory, with Aleksander Barkov striking twice on the man advantage.

"I think there's a little bit of a natural reaction to sit on a lead a little bit, but you also know they're going to push," Stars coach Peter DeBoer said. (The Panthers) weren't great through the first 40 minutes. That's a proud team that knows how to win, and you knew they were going to push for the last 20 minutes.

"Even having said that, I didn't think we gave them a lot until we gave them the power plays."

Florida went three-for-four on the man advantage against the league's eighth-best penalty-killing unit. The Stars entered Tuesday's action with an 81.7% success rate.

Pavelski is confident Dallas' penalty killers will rebound from a tough outing.

"We've got a lot of trust in our PK," he said. "They've shown it all year. They'll bounce back. I got no worries there. They're a hard-working group, they're committed to it."

Next up for the Stars is a date with the New Jersey Devils on Thursday.

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Welcome to the fifth in-season edition of theScore's 2023-24 Vezina Trophy rankings, a monthly look at the top goaltenders across the NHL.

This month features a pair of newcomers, including one in the top three. Meanwhile, an injury to one of this season's top contenders might seal up the hardware for the netminder occupying the top spot for the third month in a row.

GSAA = Goals saved above average
GSAx = Goals saved above expected

5. Igor Shesterkin, Rangers

Previous rank: N/A

Shesterkin appears on this list for the first time since November, and no goalie has been hotter than the 2022 Vezina winner lately. Since our previous edition on Feb. 7, Shesterkin has won nine of 11 starts, recording three shutouts and a .951 save percentage. He also leads the league with 17.25 goals saved above expected over that span.

His hot stretch has vaulted him into the top 10 in wins, save percentage, and goals against average on the season. He has a long way to go to fully erase his uncharacteristically average start to the campaign, but this is a good start. If he maintains his February form and the Rangers remain atop the Metropolitan Division, Shesterkin will surely garner some consideration for hardware.

4. Jeremy Swayman, Bruins

Previous rank: 5th

Statistically, Swayman has overtaken Linus Ullmark as Boston's No. 1 option between the pipes. The Bruins' star duo is clearly quite fond of each other - as evidenced by their routine post-win hugs - but the amicable time split is a blessing and a curse in Swayman's Vezina Trophy candidacy. It's great for Swayman and the Bruins that he appears comfortable being the guy for a top team with only 125 games of NHL experience, but sharing the crease is a major deterrent to winning the Vezina.

Ullmark, of course, accomplished the feat in 2023, but his numbers were far superior to his peers'. Swayman doesn't have the same sort of edge this time around. Still, he's earned his spot on this list by ranking top 10 in all the criteria above. A Vezina Trophy could very well be in Swayman's near future, but not quite yet.

3. Sergei Bobrovsky, Panthers

Previous rank: N/A

Bobrovsky's resurgence since last year's playoffs has been nothing short of remarkable. After carrying the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Final with one of the most lights-out goalie heaters in recent memory, the 35-year-old has produced his best regular season since signing his much-maligned megadeal in 2019. Bobrovsky has played a huge role in transforming the franchise from a Cinderella story to the top team in the Eastern Conference.

He hadn't made our list before now, but like Shesterkin, Bobrovsky's taken his game to a new level over the past month. His numbers since Feb. 7 are nearly identical to his Rangers counterpart, but the Panthers' netminder has better stats over the course of the season, sitting top five in wins, save percentage, and goals against average. Bobrovsky already has two Vezina wins in his 14-year career. At the rate he's going, he's making a decent case to become the 13th goalie in league history to earn a third.

2. Thatcher Demko, Canucks

Previous rank: 2nd

Demko's marvellous season hit a major roadblock recently, as he's been ruled out two-to-three weeks with a knee injury. His absence will either severely hinder his Vezina odds or bolster his case by showing how important he is to Vancouver's success if it struggles while he's out.

Demko's case has been cut and dry since October: He's among the league leaders in every major statistical category and is the backbone of a first-place team. He still has a tremendous chance to be a finalist by the summer, but his upcoming stretch in the press box may have ruined any hopes of usurping our No. 1 candidate.

1. Connor Hellebuyck, Jets

Previous rank: 1st

It's Hellebuyck's award to lose now. He leads the league in save percentage, goals saved above average, and goals saved above expected while sitting top five in starts, wins, and shutouts. The Jets are a strong defensive team, but Hellebuyck is far and away their MVP as they chase down the Central Division title.

According to Evolving-Hockey's standing points above replacement metric, which assigns a total value to an individual player's contributions to his team's success, Hellebuyck is the best goalie in the league at 11.9 this season. The runner-up, Joey Daccord of the Kraken, is at 8.9. Bobrovsky (8.6), Swayman (8.5), Demko (7.1), and Shesterkin (5.7) all rank in the top 15, but Winnipeg's backbone is in a class of his own and should be rewarded accordingly at season's end.

(Stats source: Evolving-Hockey)

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