Gavin McKenna looks comfortable on the power play and Jim Hiller believes that it's going to only get better and admitted the rookie earned his way into the role.
You have to hand it to Gavin McKenna. After a slow start that brought questions about his work ethic, he's rallied off a three-game point streak and was critical in helping the Maple Leafs power play by helping set up a critical goal by William Nylander.
He was on the ice with Auston Matthews, Nylander, Kirill Marchenko, and Darren Raddysh, taking over the spot that John Tavares would typically occupy, but couldn't with the birth of his child. McKenna performed splendidly, and looked incredibly comfortable alongside the rest of Toronto's stars:
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McKenna was also crucial in getting back to defend and created another scoring opportunity that led to an Auston Matthews goal.
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It was an individual effort that deserves high praise especially for the 18-year-old as he gets more and more acclimated to the NHL.
McKenna could become a power play staple for the Maple Leafs
Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller had nothing but good things to say about McKenna, and told reporters post-game that the rookie earned every second of power play time - and sees bigger things on the horizon:
He's playing good. You know what I mean? We're not just giving that to him. He's earned that.
You can see down the road where this is going to go with him. But for now, at that young age, if he's earned it, we're going to give him a crack to do that. It doesn't mean he'll start there every night, but when he's playing well and he's on, then he's going to get those shifts.
It's good for Hiller to temper expectations but so far the results have been pretty solid. McKenna's playmaking and speed allow him to close in on open space quickly while setting up his teammates, much like he did with Nylander.
McKenna on PP1 would actually better balance the Maple Leafs' special teams
When Tavares returns, it's likely that McKenna will again slide down to the second unit, but given that he can produce with the rest of the stars, perhaps giving Tavares the second group to run with that includes Easton Cowan, Nick Paul, Jack Roslovic, and Morgan Rielly.
He could win face-offs against a weaker opponent, and crash the net as Cowan and Paul work down low to get the puck, Roslovic can use his speed to go board-to-board, and Rielly's still an effective puck-mover in his own right.
It would allow for a more balanced power play that has an overload of shooting and creativity in its first unit, and more of an in your face, smash-and-crash style that forgoes a passing display for sheer chaos.
With Hiller making a ton of changes mid-game, he can afford to make another one for his power play and keep Gavin McKenna alongside Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and the rest of the crew.
Much like Hiller said, he earned the role. Now it's just up to him to run with it and not look back.
Do you think the Maple Leafs should keep Gavin McKenna on the first power play unit?
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