Gavin McKenna called out his Maple Leafs teammates after their loss to Montreal on Saturday and demanded more from everyone when things get tough.
Another night, another loss for the Maple Leafs and things are starting to get dire in Toronto. While they weren't exactly dominated by Montreal, costly turnovers and a lack of finishing was they key to them walking away with another L.
Someone who deserves some blame is Gavin McKenna, and his multiple yurnovers and costly mistakes led to him being benched for a bit, though Jim Hiller did throw him back into the fire - and he managed to help bring things a little closer.
But it isn't good enough for him or for the rest of the Maple Leafs and the fact they have not won against their division yet this year is a worrying sign.
Gavin McKenna wants the Maple Leafs to be more accountable
McKenna understands how high the stakes are, which is why he's demanding more from not only himself, but his team too.
Post-game, McKenna spoke about his errors and what the team needs to do to get back on track and the rookie didn't mince any words as he asked the rest of the guys to hold themselves accountable especially if he needs to:
Might just be an energy thing. Tough schedule, but at the end of the day, that's the NHL. Each guy in this room has got to hold themselves accountable to being prepared.
Even me being a young guy, I can try to influence that a little bit, have better starts to games, and hopefully that can snowball to my teammates.
Having better games would certainly help, and limiting the amount of turnovers would also be a pretty good start too. McKenna is 18, he's prone to make mistakes, but there's a difference between a mistake and not thinking.
Gavin McKenna needs to slow things down with his hands and his head
Multiple times on Saturday, he either decided to pass the puck without a plan or try a sneaky drop pass that was often times intercepted or just a neutral zone turnover.
He couldn't get it out of the zone a lot of the time, and while you're not asking him to play a defensive game - you'd like him to make smarter choices.
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Both of those passes could have had a little more foresight, and while it's great to see McKenna wanting to try to quickly find the pass, his hands are working faster than his head.
There's a ton of pressure, expectations, fan chatter, and noise surrounding McKenna. It's unavoidable. But if he is able to slow things down in his head and calculate a smarter way to play, it's going to only benefit him.
McKenna's words should ring true with his teammates, because there needs to be accountability from all facets including the coaching staff. At least the rookie realizes his mistakes now, with more than enough time to turn things around.
Do you think Gavin McKenna should be calling out his Maple Leafs teammates?
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