Gavin McKenna has already shown he can handle more than the puck.
The Maple Leafs rookie handled a pointed question on Friday with the kind of calm that has become part of his early NHL calling card. Asked after practice at the Ford Performance Centre about being bumped off Toronto’s No. 1 power-play unit with John Tavares set to return, McKenna didn’t flinch.
“I‘m 18 years old,” McKenna said after practice at the Ford Performance Centre. “There are a lot of guys in this team who have been in this league for a long time and know how to play that power play.
That answer fit the way McKenna has carried himself since arriving in Toronto. The 2026 first pick overall has brought enough skill to matter right away, but it’s the poise around that talent that has helped him navigate the Toronto spotlight without getting swallowed by it.
The Leafs are fine with the arrangement, too. Moving McKenna to the second power-play group doesn’t read as a demotion so much as a way to keep the puck moving through a player who can still tilt a shift.
“Gavin really becomes a focus on that second group, where the puck really runs through him,” coach Jim Hiller said. “That’s a good thing too.”
Tavares was due for one final check with the medical staff Friday afternoon before being cleared to return at home against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night, the next stop on Toronto’s six-game homestand. He is expected back after missing time with a lower-body injury suffered on Oct. 15 against the Buffalo Sabres.
Hiller said the Leafs are pleased with how McKenna has grown away from the puck, even while some of the finer points with the puck are still being sorted out.
“Gavin has really improved without the puck, he has made leaps and bounds,” Hiller said. “We’re really happy with him.
We’re still working through some of the decisions with the puck at different times. Without the puck, Gavin has made all kinds of strides.
We feel really good about his game.”
McKenna has 11 points in 17 games, and his own view of the learning curve centers on reading the game and absorbing structure. He said he wants to be coached hard and doesn’t mind being shown where he can improve.
“A big thing that I’ve learned in the NHL is structure,” McKenna said. “It’s all timing on where you’re at. If you’re protecting the middle and stuff like that, it’s a lot harder.
With Tavares back in the mix, the Leafs planned to use him on the left side of the second line alongside centre Nick Paul and William Nylander on the right when they face the Canadiens, and presumably the New Jersey Devils on Sunday in the annual Hockey Hall of Fame game.
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