Jim Hiller liked what he saw from his special teams heading into Monday’s game in Calgary, but he also knew the Flames would bring the same kind of challenge on the other side.
Their recent work has been sharp enough to matter, and Hiller made it clear that’s the area his club has to be locked in on.
“I think their special teams have been really good lately, and we know a little bit about that. Ours have really carried us and won us some games, too. That’s something we’re going to have to be particularly sharp at tonight.”
The atmosphere, meanwhile, was hardly a concern. Hiller said the support the team has gotten on this Western Canada trip has stood out, especially in Edmonton.
“Oh, no question! It was impressive in Edmonton.
I thought it was a great atmosphere. The Oilers fans were loud, too, but the Leafs fans hung in there with them.
Hopefully, we see that and hear that again tonight. It is great, and it helps the guys.
There’s no doubt.”
Much of Hiller’s discussion centered on player development, especially the way Gavin McKenna is being handled in a bigger-picture role. Asked about balancing tough defensive assignments with the need to win, Hiller said it’s not a simple equation.
“I don’t know. It’s a difficult question.”
He added that McKenna is the kind of player whose talent is obvious.
“It’s like any player. Sometimes you’re having better nights than other nights.
He’s a great player and is going to have an unbelievable career. We can all see that.
That’s so easy to see.
“On a team like ours, where we’re trying to just stabilize and start climbing again, maybe he’s not getting as much as he might in a different situation. But I think it’s good for him, frankly, to be around these players that we have already on the team and learn from them and just come along. We’ve seen so much growth in his game already, and it’s not surprising because he has such a great hockey sense and awareness.”
Hiller also pointed to Easton Cowan as another young player whose game has translated well into matchup work. Cowan drew praise for his defensive detail after handling tough assignments against top competition.
“I talked about Gavin’s hockey sense. Easton’s right there, too.
He’s a much better player without the puck than I thought he was, and that really does take some time as a young player. Usually, that develops over time.
“I’m just really impressed when I go through the video and I watch him and I see his reads. He really understands the game on both sides of it already, and I think you’ve got Auston there, who’s a good mentor that way, does that as well as anybody, and then Roslovic.
It’s never a one-man line. It’s got to be all three, and I think they complement each other very well.
“As a young player, Cowboy has those details.”
Hiller was also asked about Auston Matthews and the way he processes the game. He said his first real conversation with Matthews came in Buffalo after Matthews was selected first overall, and the understanding was obvious right away.
“I met him in Buffalo, and that was my first conversation with him after he was chosen first overall. Just talking a little bit of hockey with him then, you could just see.
He just understands it. He understands the game very well, so there’s not a lot of teaching that’s required.
“Just a high-level, high-level understanding. It’s one thing to understand it and then just be, maybe at times, a little jittery or nervous in the moment.
But he’s got a calm presence to him, so that allows it to unfold a little bit slower for him. I think that’s why he’s so good both ways.”
Hiller wrapped up by discussing Chris Tanev’s return to practice, calling it an encouraging step in the recovery process.
“It’s great to see him with the team, yeah. There’s always the progression.
He’s out there by himself. He hits the ice.
He’s by himself. Okay, that’s a good step.
Now you get him out in a red jersey with his teammates. That’s the next step.
“We’ll kind of know where it goes from here. He starts to get ramped up, and hopefully, we can see him sooner rather than later.”
In Other News...
Leafs Leave Door Open To Another Massive Roster Move
With the Maple Leafs still trying to sharpen their defensive play, John Chayka left the door open to another major roster shakeup. The general manager said Toronto has discussed upgrading the blue line, but also stressed that a trade is not the only path to solving the problem, giving the club some room to explore different ways of making the group harder to play against.
Chayka also addressed the kind of assets that could come into play if the Leafs do make another move, including Easton Cowan. While he made clear the organization values the young forward, he did not frame him as untouchable, and he also pointed to Torontos salary cap flexibility as a factor that could help if the right opportunity surfaces. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Loss Exposed A Bigger Problem Than One Rough Night
After a 5-2 loss to the Flames, Jim Hiller spent much of his postgame assessment circling back to the same theme: the Maple Leafs have to play cleaner and more connected, especially when the lineup is already being stretched by injuries. He pointed to the turnovers that hurt them, the need to fill gaps more effectively, and the way the game can tilt when a few details go wrong all at once. Hiller also touched on Sergei Bobrovsky in goal, a penalty called on Auston Matthews, and the kind of minutes Zack MacEwen gave the team in a limited role.
Easton Cowans night was part of the conversation too after a difficult first period, but Hiller made clear the larger issue was not one player or one mistake. The bigger concern is how the Maple Leafs respond when the game gets messy and the bench gets thinner, because the coach believes the group has to hold together better in those moments. Kirill Marchenkos injury status only adds to that challenge, and it leaves Toronto with more uncertainty than a single rough night should normally create. [Read more 🡒]
Easton Cowans Rise Is Creating A Real Leafs Dilemma
John Chaykas latest comments put a spotlight on the kind of internal evaluation that can shape a teams future as much as any trade deadline decision. He stressed that easing Gavin McKennas usage in late-game situations should be viewed as part of healthy development, not a demotion, while also making it clear that Easton Cowan has moved well past the point of being merely a promising prospect. In Chaykas view, Cowan has fit naturally with the Maple Leafs and has already outperformed early expectations.
For Toronto, that kind of rise creates an awkward kind of good problem. When a young player starts looking like a real part of the solution, the conversation quickly shifts from patience to value, from development to roster fit, and eventually to what the organization can realistically afford to protect. Chayka stopped short of putting Cowan in the untouchable category, but his praise left no doubt that the Leafs have a player whose stock is climbing at exactly the wrong time for anyone hoping the roster picture stays simple. [Read more 🡒]