The Toronto Maple Leafs wrapped up their preseason with a 6-1 win over the Ottawa Senators, and the final score was almost beside the point. Preseason can fool you like that. A team can pile up goals and still leave the night with more questions than answers.
This one did have some clear takeaways, though. Auston Matthews scored one of those classic Auston Matthews goals, and as the game went on, Toronto’s skaters kept looking more and more comfortable. That included Gavin McKenna, who is making it harder by the day to doubt how quickly he can handle the NHL game.
What stands out with McKenna isn’t just the talent. It’s the way he processes the ice.
Young players usually get the puck and rush to move it along, trying to avoid the kind of mistake that gets noticed. McKenna seems wired differently.
He keeps the puck, scans, waits, and then makes his move. A self-pass at centre ice drew attention, but the real story was the poise behind it.
Toronto even gave him a look alongside Matthews late in the game, which naturally opens the door to bigger questions. Could McKenna end up next to Matthews?
Could he begin with John Tavares and William Nylander? Those are conversations for later, and they come with the obvious preseason caveat that this was against an Ottawa lineup that wasn’t at full strength.
Still, McKenna has already done enough to shift the discussion. The question may no longer be whether he belongs.
It may be where the Maple Leafs should put him.
That’s a notable spot for an 18-year-old to reach before his first NHL season even begins.
And McKenna isn’t the only reason Toronto suddenly has some lineup choices to sort through. Through these preseason games, Jim Hiller has learned that he has options - and plenty of them.
Jack Roslovic adds scoring touch. Matthew Knies brings a mix of size and skill.
Then there’s the crowd fighting for bottom-six roles, where every job looks up for grabs. There aren’t many places left where someone can simply assume the spot is his.
That’s a good problem to have, but it’s still a problem. The roster only has so many minutes, and those minutes have to go somewhere.
Someone will sit. Someone will open lower in the lineup than he wants.
Someone else will get a chance because another player isn’t quite doing enough.
That’s the real handoff from preseason to the regular season: the games have given Hiller choices, and now he has to decide which combinations actually make the Maple Leafs better.
For McKenna, the bigger issue may be simpler. Toronto doesn’t need to force his path.
He’s making it tougher and tougher to argue that he isn’t ready. The job now is finding the right fit.
And when an 18-year-old is already creating that kind of conversation, it usually means something is going right.
In Other News...
Senators Blue Line Suddenly Has An Opening Night Concern
The Senators are still sorting through their defense as they head into the second night of preseason action, and the timing is not ideal with the club splitting into two groups for simultaneous games against Montreal. Ottawa has been using these exhibition looks to evaluate players and defensive combinations, but the blue line has already been forced to absorb some early absences while the coaching staff keeps a close eye on who can handle more responsibility.
Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub both remain unavailable, leaving a noticeable hole in the mix on a unit that is trying to get settled before the games start counting. Travis Green has said Sandersons issue is minor, which offers some reassurance, but the bigger question for Ottawa is how long this patchwork situation lasts and what it means for the opening night picture if the defense does not get whole again soon. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Roster Battle Took A Tough Turn Against Toronto's Split Squad
The Senators roster competition got another layer of urgency Thursday night at Canadian Tire Centre, where Torontos split squad came away with a 4-2 preseason win even without its biggest stars in the lineup. It was the kind of game built around players trying to make an impression, with both sides leaning on hopefuls and depth pieces rather than established names, and Ottawa still managed to find a moment that suggested the night might swing its way.
Hoyt Stanley gave the Senators a brief lift when he tied the game in the third period, but the Leafs answered and regained control in the closing stretch to leave Ottawa with another reminder of how tight these battles can be this time of year. Henrik Rybinski and Steven Lorentz were among the goal scorers in a game that had the feel of a final audition, and now the Senators turn to their preseason finale against the Canadiens with a few roster decisions still hanging in the balance. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Just Forced A Bigger Question About Leevi Merilainen
A rough night in Toronto has already pushed Leevi Merilainen into a familiar but far less comfortable kind of NHL conversation. The Senators placed the young goaltender on waivers after a difficult recent outing, a move that underlined just how quickly the depth chart can change when a backup or developmental netminder starts to wobble. Ottawa has seen enough volatility in goal to know these decisions can carry real weight, especially with a player still trying to establish himself.
If Merilainen clears, the next stop would be Belleville in the American Hockey League, which would mark the first time in his career he has needed waivers to get there. That detail matters for Ottawa because it turns a routine roster shuffle into a bigger question about where he stands in the organizations long-term plans, and how much patience the club still has as it tries to sort out its goaltending picture. [Read more 🡒]