Gavin McKenna’s first preseason appearance for the Maple Leafs is already drawing attention, and not just because of the hype that follows him everywhere.
McKenna will skate Saturday night in Toronto’s preseason opener against the Montreal Canadiens at home, and he’ll do it with plenty of eyes on him in that No. 92 jersey. The rookie phenom has become impossible to miss, but one detail from the Leafs’ lineup has some fans talking: his listed weight.
McKenna was measured at 174 pounds at the NHL Draft Combine, a number that already put him on the lighter side. But when Toronto posted its lineup for the game against Montreal, he was listed at 164 pounds - 10 pounds under that combine mark.
That gap has sparked concern in some corners of Leafs Nation, while others have wondered whether McKenna may have given a slightly inflated number at the combine to look better on paper.
There’s no immediate reason to think anything is wrong with McKenna’s health, but the number still stands out. Among the players in the lineup, the next lightest member of the “A” squad is Sergei Bobrovsky at 187 pounds, and most of the group is listed above 200.
Even so, size has never been the only way to survive in hockey. Plenty of smaller players have carved out major roles and made a real impact.
Cole Caufield is listed at 5-foot-7, 166 pounds. Brad Marchand comes in at 5-foot-9, 181 pounds.
Alex Debrincat is 5-foot-7 and 165 pounds.
McKenna’s idol Patrick Kane was never a big man, and Nikita Kucherov has been one of the league’s most dangerous players for years while staying under 180 pounds.
So while McKenna’s frame may raise eyebrows at first glance, there’s plenty of precedent for a lighter player to be effective. Toronto has had its own issues with size before, and McKenna’s build does not automatically stand in the way of him making an impact.
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For Toronto, the broader camp buzz is still centered on how the Maple Leafs are sorting through their own lineup looks, including rookie Gavin McKenna starting out on a different line from Auston Matthews while the staff continues to evaluate combinations. Around the league, there is plenty of early camp intrigue too, with Edmontons Mike Babcock sounding energized about being back behind an NHL bench, but the Marchenko situation is the one that could end up hanging over Columbus for a while. [Read more 🡒]
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Now that Tkachuk is with the Florida Panthers, even a harmless memory from those days has a little extra edge to it. Tkachuk has already joked about warning his old teammates against bringing back their celebration if the rivalry puts them on opposite sides in the NHL, which is exactly the kind of small detail that can give Leafs-Panthers matchups a little more bite this season. [Read more 🡒]
Auston Matthews Just Eased Torontos Biggest Offseason Fear
Auston Matthews gave the Maple Leafs something they badly needed this summer: a reason to breathe a little easier. In a recent interview, the star center said he wants to remain in Toronto and expressed confidence in new general manager John Chaykas direction, a notable public vote of faith for an organization that spent the offseason trying to calm outside nerves about its future.
Matthews also admitted he weighed the idea of leaving when the offseason began, which only sharpens the significance of where he landed. For the Leafs, the bigger message is not just that their franchise player is still talking about a future in Toronto, but that he now believes the team is moving the right way and can win there. [Read more 🡒]