There’s a real temptation to ease Gavin McKenna in slowly, let him find his footing and avoid piling too much onto a rookie before he’s even played a game. But if the Maple Leafs are serious about getting Auston Matthews back to his best, that cautious approach may not last long.
Toronto drafted McKenna with two ideas in mind: he’s the superstar of the future, and he’s also the kind of playmaker who can help their captain right now. That’s the bet.
The only problem is that McKenna still hasn’t stepped onto NHL ice, so nobody knows exactly how quickly his game will translate. The talent is obvious.
The timing is the question.
He could need a stretch to adjust to the pace and workload of the league. Then again, this is a player who has lived under pressure for most of his life, so the transition might not be as rough as some fear. Still, nothing is promised.
That’s why Toronto may be better off putting McKenna and Matthews together immediately instead of trying to spread the pieces around and see what sticks. There has already been plenty of lineup chatter, including a setup with William Nylander on the top line alongside Matthews and Matthew Knies, while McKenna skates with John Tavares. But the fit between McKenna and Matthews is hard to ignore, and the sooner the Leafs learn what that partnership looks like, the better.
Training camp being a split-squad affair only makes that more important. Toronto can’t afford to have McKenna and Matthews separated across different games while everyone else is trying to sort out combinations.
Jim Hiller needs a plan, and he can’t spend half a season shuffling McKenna, or anyone else, up and down the lineup. Put them together, see what happens, and adjust only if the results say it’s time.
That’s especially true because Matthews’ issues last season weren’t just about health. A big part of the concern was who he was playing with.
He went through a rotating cast that included Bobby McMann, Easton Cowan and even Steven Lorentz, after spending nearly a decade with Mitch Marner beside him. That kind of turnover makes chemistry hard to build.
Matthews is not going to rediscover consistency if the lineup keeps changing around him. McKenna gives him something different: a creative, elite-vision playmaker who can feed a finisher built to bury chances.
And Matthews is still a finisher first. He’s had multiple 60-goal seasons, and his 69 goals in 2023-24 were the most in a single season since Mario Lemieux in the mid 90s.
With Marner gone, Matthews no longer had that same kind of synergy driving the attack. He looked like a player trying to do too much at once.
McKenna changes that equation. On the power play, especially, there should be more room for the two to figure things out.
And with Toronto now built to defend and protect, Matthews can focus on what he does best: scoring.
McKenna and Matthews will need time to get comfortable together. But if the pairing clicks, it could be the kind of combination that finally gives the Maple Leafs a way through their second-round wall.
In Other News...
This Wild Leafs Trade Idea Would Divide The Fanbase Fast
A social-media trade idea has been making the rounds involving one of Torontos longest-tenured defensemen and a high-profile veteran forward in Nashville, and it is the kind of proposal that instantly splits a fanbase. On paper, the cap math is not as messy as it might first seem, but the bigger issue is that there is no real indication this is anything more than internet speculation.
No major insider has reported talks, and there is no sign the front offices have actually discussed a deal. Even if the framework were to gain traction, both players hold full no-movement clauses, so any move would require their approval, and Toronto would likely need to add more to the package to get it across the finish line. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Face A Brutal Max Domi Cap Dilemma
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A trade would create a cleaner path, but it would not come cheaply. Moving Domi would likely mean giving up something else of value to make the money work, and the Leafs would still need to keep trimming the roster in other places to stay compliant. For a team trying to preserve flexibility, the choice between a temporary fix and a more painful transaction is exactly the kind of cap squeeze that can shape the rest of the summer. [Read more 🡒]
Another No. 1 Pick Just Sent A Message To Gavin McKenna
As Gavin McKenna gets ready for his first NHL season, he has already heard from a recent No. 1 pick who knows the pressure that comes with the label. Matthew Schaefer, the 2025 top selection and Calder Trophy winner, offered the kind of early guidance that usually matters most to a young player stepping into the league for the first time, urging McKenna to enjoy the experience, stay confident and keep developing with the help of teammates and coaches.
The timing makes the message even more interesting for Toronto fans, because the two are set to meet early in the season and provide an immediate look at how the next wave of talent stacks up. For McKenna, the spotlight will only grow from here, and for Schaefer, it is another reminder that the No. 1 pick conversation does not end on draft night. [Read more 🡒]