Steve Simmons’ recent column about Guy Lafleur had me thinking about Gavin McKenna, but maybe not in the way it was meant to. The bigger lesson isn’t about the rookie numbers themselves. It’s about how quickly we try to define a young player before he’s had any real time to become who he’s going to be.
That’s where Easton Cowan comes into the picture. The Maple Leafs forward and McKenna are obviously not the same kind of prospect.
McKenna went first overall. Cowan went 28th.
McKenna arrived in Toronto with massive expectations attached to him. Cowan came in with something much different: curiosity.
And yet Cowan is a useful example of how development can actually look. He put up 11 goals and 29 points in 66 games as a rookie, and nobody was lining up to declare him the next face of the franchise.
Nobody was measuring him against Lafleur. He was just trying to find his way in the NHL.
Now, three games into this season, he’s already one of the Maple Leafs’ most creative forwards. That’s the kind of growth that doesn’t always come wrapped in a dramatic announcement. Sometimes it’s just a young player getting a little stronger, a little smarter, and a little more comfortable.
That’s why the questions around McKenna feel a little premature, even if they’re natural ones. What will his point total be?
What line should he play on? Should he be on the first power play?
What kind of player will he become?
Those are fair questions. They’re just not necessarily the best ones right now.
A better one might be this: what does McKenna need at this stage to become the player he’s capable of becoming?
That’s the part that matters. One year, a player looks like he’s still searching for a role.
The next, you’re trying to squeeze as much of him into the lineup as possible. Growth can happen quietly, without a headline attached to it.
So maybe the point isn’t to pin a number on McKenna’s future. Maybe he scores 40 points.
Maybe 60. Maybe he has stretches where things get messy.
Maybe he ends up surprising everyone. None of that is knowable yet, and that’s fine.
The Lafleur comparison works because it reminds us that great players don’t always arrive fully formed. Neither do good ones.
McKenna’s first season may not be about proving exactly what he is. It may be about giving him the space to find out.
And if Cowan’s early path says anything, it’s that the process deserves more attention than the scoreboard.
In Other News...
Oilers Trade Interest In Young Center Suddenly Gets More Complicated
Gavin McKennas early NHL stretch finally turned into a memorable night in Toronto, where the young forward notched his first goal and assist in the same game Tuesday. It was the kind of small but meaningful milestone that can give a newcomer some needed confidence, and it came at a time when the Maple Leafs are still sorting out what they have in their younger pieces.
Elsewhere in the league, Michael Bunting landed with the Flyers on a one-year, $1.2 million deal after staying unsigned into the season, a move Philadelphia hopes will help its offense right away. And for the Oilers, trade talk around a young center from an Eastern Conference team has only gotten murkier, with Matt Poitras still floating as a possible fit but no agreement in sight yet. [Read more 🡒]
Auston Matthews Just Gave Leafs Fans A Reason To Believe Again
Auston Matthews gave the Maple Leafs exactly the kind of night they have been waiting for, driving Toronto to a comeback victory over the Nashville Predators with a performance that felt like a reminder of what he can still mean to this team. He was all over the score sheet, helping fuel the rally and giving the Leafs a lift at a time when any sign of rhythm from their captain is going to draw attention.
Matthews has opened the season with five points in four games, a pace that suggests he is settling in fast after a stretch where his level of play was under the microscope. The bigger picture for Toronto is simple: if this version of Matthews is here to stay, the Leafs suddenly have a much better reason to believe their top player is moving back toward the form that once made him one of the leagues most dominant forces. [Read more 🡒]
Gavin McKennas Breakthrough Came After One Unusual Leafs Twist
Gavin McKennas first few days with the Maple Leafs were already drawing attention, but the real breakthrough arrived in a comeback win that gave the rookie his first NHL goal and his first career point. It came in his fourth game, a milestone moment that fit the kind of early-season spark Toronto has been looking for as it tries to keep building momentum.
What made the day stand out even before the puck dropped was McKenna showing up for the optional morning skate, a small detail that did not go unnoticed by fans or media around the team. Auston Matthews even suggested McKenna could be in line for more after getting that first one, and for a player still settling into his NHL footing, that kind of confidence can matter as much as the box score. [Read more 🡒]