With a month left before the Toronto Maple Leafs open a new season, the early conversation around Gavin McKenna is already heating up. The question isn’t whether the team wants him to matter right away. It’s where head coach Jim Hiller should put him when the lineup card gets written.
The buzz points toward McKenna landing on Auston Matthews’ wing from day one. That’s the flashy option, the one that puts the newest first overall pick right in the middle of the spotlight. But there’s a real case for letting John Chayka’s Maple Leafs ease him in on the second line instead.
That approach would not be about hiding McKenna. It would be about handling his first NHL steps the right way.
Toronto has already seen how tricky prospect development can get, and the source of that caution is clear enough: the Maple Leafs struggled with players like Nicholas Robertson. McKenna already went through one major adjustment when he moved from the WHL to the NCAA, starting slowly before settling in against older competition.
A second-line role could smooth out that same kind of transition in the NHL, giving him minutes without dropping him straight into the brightest part of the Toronto glare.
The competition wouldn’t suddenly become soft just because he’s not on the top line. He would still face quality matchups.
The difference is the pressure. Playing beside Matthews comes with a different kind of weight, especially with Matthews carrying his own burden this season.
None of that means McKenna is looking for a soft landing. By his own account, he’s ready for the challenge that comes with wearing a Maple Leafs sweater, and he welcomes the chance to help make the team competitive.
There’s also another reason to think twice about locking in the top line too early: Jack Roslovic. The newly acquired forward has a built-in connection with Matthews, dating back to their time together at the U.S. National Team Development Program from 2013 to 2015, when they were in their under-17 and under-18 seasons.
Roslovic is coming off a 36-point season with the Edmonton Oilers and has scored 20 goals in each of the last two seasons. That gives Hiller another legitimate option up front. If Matthew Knies is the likely fit with Matthews, then the last spot on the top line appears to come down to Roslovic or McKenna.
A second-line start for McKenna would also give Toronto a chance to spread the offense around more evenly. A line with McKenna alongside John Tavares and William Nylander would give the Maple Leafs another dangerous group and make the attack less top-heavy.
That matters because Toronto has leaned heavily on a few key scorers in recent years. Last season, Matthews, Knies, Tavares and Nylander combined for 111 of the team’s 252 goals, which was more than 44 percent of the total.
No matter where McKenna begins, he should help the Maple Leafs. Starting him on the second line, though, could do more than just ease his transition. It could also open up the rest of the lineup and give Toronto a more balanced way to score.
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Matthew Knies Deal Already Looks Better For The Leafs
Matthew Knies long-term deal with the Maple Leafs was signed with the usual mix of hope and risk that comes with paying for upside before it has fully matured. Toronto committed six years at a $7.75 million average annual value in 2025, betting that Knies would keep trending into a key top-six piece and that the price would look sensible as the salary cap and comparable contracts kept moving. At the time, it was a notable investment in a player still building his full resume.
Now the market around other young forwards is starting to make that number look even more reasonable. Cutter Gauthier, a restricted free agent with the Anaheim Ducks, is reportedly in negotiations that could land in the $15-17 million AAV range, with Leo Carlssons recent $18 million AAV extension hanging over those talks as a reference point. Knies and Gauthier are different players in different situations, but the broader takeaway for Toronto is hard to miss: a contract that once looked ambitious can start to feel sharp if the next wave of comparables keeps climbing. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Projected Lineup Puts Familiar Faces In A Tough Spot
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What makes the projection interesting for Leafs followers is the way it creates pressure points for familiar faces while opening the door for newcomers to carve out meaningful roles. Health and consistency remain part of the conversation, especially in goal, where the team is still trying to sort out how much trust to place in Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz as the position gets redefined around them. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Camp Could Get Complicated Thanks To Two Overlooked Names
Training camp usually starts with the obvious names, the players everyone assumes are already locked in or fighting for the last few spots, but Bo Groulx and Marshall Rifai are the kinds of depth pieces who can quietly make things interesting for the Maple Leafs. Groulx brought good energy and solid play with the Marlies, and he even got a brief look with Toronto last season, which at least puts him on the radar when camp opens.
Rifai is the other name worth tracking because his game is built around physicality and defense, the sort of profile that can stand out if the new coaching staff wants a different look from its bottom-end options. Neither player is a favorite to break through, and neither comes with any guarantee, but both have enough going for them to keep this camp from being as straightforward as it first appears. [Read more 🡒]