Gavin McKenna won’t be making the trip to Gatineau after all.
Toronto Marlies head coach Steve Sullivan confirmed that McKenna is staying behind and will not play in the Prospects Tournament this weekend, even though the first overall pick was skating on a line with Luke Haymes and Brandon Buhr during the Maple Leafs’ Prospect Showcase practice.
McKenna handled the news calmly, saying he’s focused on doing whatever the team wants and is fine with the decision to keep him out of game action.
“I was just doing whatever the team wanted me to do. It'd be fun to play some games, but they think me staying here is best, and I'm OK with that. I'll listen to what they want.”
Sullivan pointed to McKenna’s deception, execution and knack for creating plays out of structure as the traits that stand out. He also made it clear why Toronto doesn’t see much need to send him to Gatineau at this stage.
“What’s best for him is to stay here, continue to train with the NHL players and and prepare for a big season. Short training camp for them.
They have an 84-game schedule. He’s got a lot coming in front of him.
He had a really busy summer.”
That leaves McKenna out of the weekend event, but it also means he stays in Toronto with the NHL group and avoids the risk that comes with playing in tournament games. Fans hoping for their first look at him in a Leafs sweater in game action will have to wait a little longer, though preseason games start next week and he’s likely to be in the lineup then.
With McKenna sitting out, the spotlight in Gatineau shifts to the rest of Toronto’s prospect pool.
Up front, Tinus Luc Koblar gets a chance to build on his IIHF performance and show he’s ahead of schedule, with a potential Marlies job in play. Harry Nansi and Miroslav Holinka also have a chance to push their cases, with Holinka already part of the Marlies and expected to take on a bigger role this season, while Nansi has become one of the organization’s more intriguing young talents.
On the blue line, Ben Danford and Noah Chadwick will be worth watching as a top pairing. Danford brings shutdown ability, while Chadwick has the opportunity to drive offense from the back end.
There’s also a group still battling for jobs rather than long-term roles. Rylan Fellinger, Sawyer Boulton and Brady Pepoy are all trying to earn AHL spots, while invitee Parker Vaughan has done enough to get a second look.
McKenna won’t be in the Showcase, but Toronto still has plenty of prospects worth tracking this weekend in Gatineau.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs Could Make Bottom Six A Lot More Interesting
The Maple Leafs already made one family connection this summer when they landed defenseman Darren Raddysh from Tampa Bay in a sign-and-trade, and now there is at least a little buzz around whether they might try to bring his brother Taylor into the picture as well. Taylor Raddysh is with the Rangers, but roster constraints in New York could leave him available, which naturally gets a team like Toronto thinking about how another depth piece might fit.
For the Leafs, the appeal goes beyond the novelty of reuniting brothers. A move for Taylor would be about giving the bottom six another layer of competition and a little more versatility, something that can matter a lot over the course of a season. Whether Toronto actually gets involved remains to be seen, but it is the kind of low-risk, high-interest idea that tends to linger when a team has already shown it is willing to connect the Raddysh family to the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Mitch Marner Just Weighed In On Torontos Bold Darren Raddysh Bet
Torontos wager on Darren Raddysh says plenty about how far the organization is willing to go after a breakthrough season. Fresh off a 70-point breakout, he landed an eight-year, $68 million contract, the kind of commitment that instantly changes expectations around a player and the team around him. For the Maple Leafs, it is a bold bet on production, growth and the idea that what Raddysh showed last year is only the start.
Mitch Marner, now with the Vegas Golden Knights, also took notice of the move and made clear he has been impressed by Raddyshs work ethic. His public praise adds another layer to a signing already carrying plenty of weight, especially because the Leafs are banking on that effort translating into lasting impact. The contract is in place, the spotlight is on, and the bigger question is how quickly Raddysh can turn that promise into something the Leafs can build around. [Read more 🡒]
Max Domi Just Gave The Maple Leafs A Real Camp Problem
The Maple Leafs opened camp with a familiar kind of uncertainty around Max Domi, and this one carries more weight than a routine preseason absence. General manager John Chayka said the forward will not be ready when camp begins and will remain out indefinitely after complications from an offseason surgery, leaving Toronto without one of the veteran pieces it expected to have available from day one. The club has not said what procedure Domi had, and the lack of detail only adds to the sense that this is more than a short-term hiccup.
Domi is expected to speak publicly about the injury at a later date, but for now the Leafs are left to sort out a roster picture that was supposed to be clearer by September. His absence matters because he is under contract for two more seasons, and Toronto had been counting on him as part of its forward mix entering the year. For a team trying to get organized early, the bigger issue is not just who fills in right away, but how long it will be until one of its more established forwards is actually able to join the lineup. [Read more 🡒]