Gavin McKenna showed everyone that he means business on Saturday morning as he heads into his first Battle of Ontario later this evening.
The Maple Leafs are set to do battle against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night and as always it's expected to be a heated affair. The Sens will have offensive stud Jake Sanderson back in the lineup, but are also playing their first game of the season - so it won't be easy.
Toronto is trying to make it two in a row after defeating the Islanders on Wednesday, and while it has been the Easton Cowan show thus far, the stars need to start picking up the slack, plus it would be nice to see Gavin McKenna record his first career NHL point; getting that monkey off his back.
McKenna takes charge ahead of Saturday's optional skate
Speaking of McKenna, the rookie decided to take matters into his own hands to ensure he has abetter shot at his first point because on Saturday he was not only going to take part in the optional skate - but he was going to be the first on the ice:
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McKenna showed a lot of dedication to show up when he didn't need to, it is optional at all regardless of whether it would be a bad look or not. He joined several others including Kirill Marchenko, so it's good to see a handful of players taking it a bit more seriously than some.
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Considering that he's only 18, it shows a great bit of maturity for him to step onto the ice first and be one of the guys focused on improving day in and day out. Plus, with him missing the first optional skate ahead of the season opener, if he missed another then it could lead to some flak for the youngster.
McKenna has his hands full for his first Battle of Ontario
But it will not be easy for the Maple Leafs rookie as the Senators are hellbent on making sure he doesn't get hot. Not only will he need to compete with the likes of William Eklund, Tim Stutzle, Andre Burakovsky, and Dylan Cozens but he needs to contend with a returning Jake Sanderson.
McKenna needs to start finding his rhythm shortly, and it might be time for Jim Hiller to start tinkering with the lineup, especially if the group of McKenna - Tavares - Nylander start giving up too many opportunities.
The atmosphere is much different against Ottawa, and even though he already experienced a bitter rivalry with Montreal in the opener, there's a more intense vibe given they are fighting for provincial supremacy.
But leave it to McKenna to take charge, and perhaps the extra reps this morning will be enough to push him onto the scoresheet for the first time in his career.
Do you think Gavin McKenna scores his first point tonight against Ottawa?
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