Gavin McKenna did plenty to shape the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 5-4 regulation loss to the Seattle Kraken, but the conversation after the game kept circling back to something else entirely: Jim Hiller’s handling of the rookie.
McKenna, the first overall pick, was at the center of Toronto’s offense with two power-play goals and a three-point night, yet his five-on-five usage still drew the sharpest scrutiny on Sportsnet during the first intermission. With Kirill Marchenko out, McKenna was bumped onto the Leafs’ top line with Auston Matthews and Jack Roslovic, but his night took an odd turn when he played three shifts, sat for 5-6 minutes, then returned to score a late power-play goal that tied the game 1-1 heading into the break.
David Amber led the panel into the debate, and Elliotte Friedman made it clear he wasn’t buying the decision to park McKenna. Friedman said, "I admit I didn't see anything that said to me after three shifts he should be sat for a while.
I was surprised at this. I was shocked it happened."
Luke Gazdic followed with a similar read. He said McKenna hadn’t done anything extreme enough to warrant losing shifts, even if the move came because McKenna was taken off for right-shot center Colton Sissons to handle an offensive zone faceoff.
Gazdic called the rookie’s play to that point "okay," but said the bigger issue was the message it sends. "I don't want the kid going out there thinking any mistake, or one mistake, could be his last shift," he said.
"I don't like it. Just let the kid play."
Justin Bourne then took the argument further. He said McKenna, like every player, is going to have to live with good shifts and bad ones.
He pointed to a first-period reel that showed McKenna’s activity, including a toe-drag snap shot, a carry through the neutral zone, and a clean pass, as examples of "positive touches." On Hiller, Bourne was blunt: "You have to have an even standard with all guys."
To back that up, Bourne showed clips from William Nylander’s first-period work against Seattle. One sequence featured a lazy "pull-up poke" in the defensive zone on the Kraken’s first goal, followed by Nylander getting beaten from the wall by Berkly Catton, who finished the play for Seattle’s opening score.
Bourne also highlighted Nylander failing to move his feet on a backcheck through the neutral zone and then not clearing the puck later in the same shift. He noted that Nylander had been on the ice for 14 goals against during 5 versus 5 play over Toronto’s first 14 games.
By the end of the segment, the panel’s message was unmistakable: Hiller needs to loosen up and let McKenna stay on the ice. Pulling a player with that kind of ceiling off for offensive-zone faceoffs - the very situations built to put him in position to succeed - can do real damage to confidence. And with Hiller’s quick trigger on McKenna now becoming a storyline in its own right, the way this relationship develops will matter for the rookie’s season and his rise in the league.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs Getting Closer To Help As One Problem Still Lingers
The Maple Leafs are getting closer to some welcome reinforcement, and Jim Hiller sounded encouraged about whats coming back into the lineup. Chris Tanev has been trending in the right direction after looking good in practice, while Dakota Joshua should eventually give Toronto more size, wall play and a stronger net-front option, the kind of support that can matter when a team is trying to tighten things up and survive the grind of the schedule.
Hiller also pointed to the smaller details that still need sharpening, from cleaner line changes to the everyday habits that show up in practice. He praised Morgan Riellys ability to chip in at both ends while handling a leadership role, and he noted the added meaning of coaching in his home province as well as the familiarity some former Canucks players will have when facing their old club. The Leafs may be nearing help, but the timing of those returns still leaves one question hanging over the group. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs May Have A Real Way To Keep This Core Together
A rising cap picture is starting to look like the kind of break the Maple Leafs have spent years hoping for. Reports suggest the NHL ceiling could keep climbing over the next several seasons, which would give Toronto far more breathing room than it has had in the recent past and could change the way the front office approaches long-term planning around its core.
For a team that always seems to be balancing present contention against future flexibility, that matters a lot. Auston Matthews is part of the conversation, and so are younger names like Easton Cowan and Gavin McKenna, with all of them expected to be in line for new contracts around the same stretch of time. If the leagues financial landscape keeps moving in Torontos favor, the Leafs may finally have a realistic path to keeping that group together without having to gut the roster around them. [Read more 🡒]
Auston Matthews Is Giving The Leafs A Different Kind Of Hope
Auston Matthews has given the Maple Leafs a very different kind of early-season lift, and it goes beyond the usual goal-scoring gravity he brings every year. Through 15 games, he has piled up 10 goals and 13 assists for 23 points, putting him right near the top of the NHL scoring race while helping drive Torontos offense in a way that feels broader than a pure finisher carrying the load.
What stands out for the Leafs is how complete the production has been. Matthews has been dangerous at even strength and on the power play, and the improvement in his playmaking has made Toronto harder to defend because opponents cannot simply key on his shot. If this level holds, the bigger question is not whether he can score, but just how far this version of Matthews can push the Leafs attack. [Read more 🡒]