Gavin McKenna’s season has hardly been a disaster, but the Maple Leafs are still treating him like he has something to prove.
Toronto’s latest practice tweak ahead of Tuesday’s game against Colorado sent Ryan Tverberg into the top six, where he skated alongside John Tavares and William Nylander. That move pushed McKenna out of that prime spot, another sign that the first overall pick still isn’t being handed the kind of runway many expected.
McKenna has 12 points in 19 games and is tied for first in rookie scoring. He has flashed the star-level talent that made him the top selection, and he has also shown why the Leafs keep pulling back on the reins. He has been benched multiple times, for reasons that have been both understandable and not, and his ice time has bounced around even though he has found some chemistry with players like Auston Matthews and Jack Roslovic.
There’s no denying the upside. There’s also no denying the rough edges.
McKenna has been strong on the power play, but his defensive work and turnovers have left plenty to clean up. Jim Hiller’s message seems clear: if McKenna wants the best minutes, he has to earn them.
Tverberg, meanwhile, is getting a major opportunity despite a tiny NHL sample. He has played just two career games and has no points, and he is nowhere near McKenna in pure skill. But he brings a scrappy edge and the kind of puck-fighting energy that can fit next to Tavares and Nylander.
From a pure talent standpoint, the choice looks lopsided. McKenna is the better player, and the argument for giving him the biggest stage is hard to ignore.
Toronto is coming off a shutout loss and needs offense, and the idea of pairing McKenna with Matthews and a returning Roslovic has obvious appeal, especially with the chemistry those two have already shown. That setup would also let Easton Cowan serve as the spark plug and puck gatherer on the second line.
The alternative doesn’t offer much upside. McKenna is not going to suddenly turn Dakota Joshua into prime JVR, and Nick Paul has only two points in his last 16 games. If Toronto is going to keep losing, the case for keeping McKenna in a reduced role gets weaker by the day.
At this point, the Leafs have little to lose but more games. And if the season is slipping away, there’s a strong argument for letting McKenna do as much damage as possible while the chance to play with Matthews is still there. That window may not stay open for long.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs Suddenly Have An Oliver Ekman-Larsson Decision To Make
Oliver Ekman-Larssons first season with the Maple Leafs has not gone the way anyone in Toronto would have hoped. Through 19 games, he has managed just one assist, and the overall picture has been one of a veteran defenseman looking a step slower than the club expected when it brought him in.
That has left the Maple Leafs with a real roster question as injuries begin to settle down and younger blueliners push for more opportunity. If Toronto decides it needs to open up those minutes, Ekman-Larsson becomes the kind of movable piece that could be on the table, even if the timing and the return remain very much in flux. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Fans Are Already Debating A Blockbuster This Team May Need
Leafs chatter has a way of turning hypothetical ideas into full-blown debates, and this latest one is no exception. On social media, fans have been tossing around the kind of blockbuster framework that instantly grabs attention because it involves two of Torontos most recognizable names and a fresh angle on how the roster might be reshaped.
The appeal is obvious on the surface, but the practical hurdles are just as clear. Morgan Riellys no-trade clause complicates any move involving him, and William Nylander remains too important to Torontos attack to be treated lightly in any serious discussion. On the other side, there are also questions about whether Dylan Larkin would even consider a move north, which leaves this as more of a fan-driven thought experiment than a deal with real traction. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Suddenly Have A Shot At An Elite Young Scorer
The Maple Leafs are suddenly in the mix for a player who would change the look of their forward group if they can find a way to make it work. Reports from Kevin Weekes and other league sources say Flyers winger Matvei Michkov is available under unusual circumstances, and with Toronto always hunting for more high-end scoring, a young talent of that caliber is the kind of name that naturally jumps to the front of the conversation.
Michkov is in the final year of his contract, which only adds to the intrigue around what Philadelphia might do next and how aggressive interested teams can afford to be. For Toronto, the challenge is obvious: any serious pursuit would come at a steep price in assets and money, but the payoff would be landing one of the leagues most gifted young scorers at a time when that kind of upside is hard to ignore. [Read more 🡒]