Toronto Maple Leafs forward Gavin McKenna didn’t waste much time reminding everyone why the noise around his start has been overblown. Four games into his NHL career, he logged his first point and first goal in a 5-4 overtime win over the Nashville Predators, a moment that should have stood on its own. Instead, the early conversation around him has already turned critical, with pundits zeroing in on everything from him missing an optional skate to the idea that he should be producing more as a first overall pick.
That kind of reaction is coming way too soon.
McKenna is still in the middle of figuring out the league, and nothing about his start suggests he’s been overwhelmed. He wasn’t terrible to open his career, and even without immediate production, the signs were there.
The creativity, the deception, the ability to create offense on the fly - those have shown up from the jump. In some shifts, he even looked a step ahead of his linemates, John Tavares and William Nylander.
The adjustment has come in stages, and that’s not surprising for a player carrying the weight of being selected first overall in a market like Toronto. McKenna has been under the microscope for years, dating back to his exceptional status.
He put up 244 points in 133 WHL games, then followed that with 51 points in 35 NCAA games as a freshman. Even there, the path wasn’t perfectly smooth.
He was good last season, but he didn’t fully hit his stride until the second half. That’s part of the story with him: it takes time, but he gets there.
His first NHL goal came after a debut stretch that was more about promise than numbers. McKenna admitted his first game came with nerves, but he got better with each period and each outing.
By the time he scored against Nashville, he looked more comfortable, more confident, and more like the player Toronto drafted. That’s why the overreaction feels so out of place.
Four games is nothing in the big picture.
The Maple Leafs also made a lineup change that doesn’t look like a setback for McKenna so much as a response to the moment. Head coach Jim Hiller shuffled his lines in the comeback win against Nashville, and Easton Cowan moved into McKenna’s spot on the second line. McKenna then played on the third line with Nick Paul and Colton Sissons, and that unit posted a 73.27% expected goals percentage at five-on-five.
That wasn’t the only game where the move worked. Against the Vegas Golden Knights, McKenna stayed on the third line, picked up another assist, and that line finished with a 66.70 xGF% at 5v5.
It’s not ideal in the long term, but it also doesn’t read like a demotion that should slow his growth. The Leafs are trying to put him in the best position to succeed, and the early evidence suggests he can handle whatever role they give him.
At this stage, the bigger point is simple: McKenna is five games into his career, and the complaints have already gotten ahead of the facts. He’s still learning, still adjusting, and still producing enough to show why the hype followed him here in the first place.
The panic doesn’t match the performance. Not yet.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs Face One Trade Question That Could Reshape Their Blue Line
The Maple Leafs have already added to their roster since the offseason, but the blue line still looks like the spot that could most use another swing. A high-impact left-side defenseman would fit the kind of upgrade Toronto has been circling, and Simon Edvinsson has emerged as an intriguing name because of his age, size and upside. For a team trying to harden its back end without sacrificing future value, he checks a lot of boxes on paper.
What makes the situation worth watching is the possibility that Detroit could be open to moving him under the right circumstances. Edvinsson has the profile of a player who would draw interest across the league, and Toronto would make sense as one of the clubs keeping tabs if the Red Wings decide to listen. For the Maple Leafs, the question is whether they want to push in now for help on the left side or trust the current group to carry the load a little longer. [Read more 🡒]
Nylanders Honest Take On A New Leafs Arrival Will Get Attention
William Nylander has been one of the Maple Leafs early catalysts this season, piling up six points in five games, but the conversation around him in a recent interview with The Athletic drifted beyond the scoreboard. Nylander touched on the arrival of Sergei Bobrovsky, a major new presence in Torontos mix, and also opened up about the people and players who shaped him growing up, giving a more personal glimpse into the winger behind the production.
There was also some notable honesty in the way Nylander discussed his connection to former Leafs star Mats Sundin, since the relationship has long carried extra weight for Toronto fans. Nylander revisited his upbringing and the hockey influences that mattered most to him, a reminder that even for a player entrenched in the present, the past still helps frame how he sees a changing Leafs roster. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Make Unusual Avalanche Lineup Move With One Big Decision Looming
The Maple Leafs are making a slightly unusual adjustment against the Colorado Avalanche, sliding Nick Blankenburg into the lineup as John Tavares steps out for the birth of his child. Head coach Jim Hiller said the club will dress seven defensemen and 11 forwards, a wrinkle that gives Toronto some extra flexibility while also opening the door for Blankenburg to get his first action of the season after being a healthy scratch through the first five games.
Blankenburg arrived on a one-year deal after a strong training camp, so this is a useful early look at how he fits once the games start to count. There is still one notable piece left hanging ahead of puck drop, though, because Hiller declined to name the starting goaltender, leaving Torontos final call in net as the other decision worth watching before the matchup begins. [Read more 🡒]