Toronto Maple Leafs rookie Gavin McKenna is losing his spot on the top power play unit as John Tavares officially returns to the lineup on Saturday.
After missing the last couple of weeks with an injury, John Tavares is set to be in the lineup on Saturday night as the Leafs take on the Montreal Canadiens in a Saturday night thriller.
Tavares is going to be back on the second line, although this time around, he will play on the wing with Nick Paul at center, and William Nylander on the right-hand side.
The former captain's return also means he will be back on the top power play unit. This is bad news for Gavin McKenna, who was taking his place.
Head coach Jim Hiller is sending McKenna back down to the second unit, which takes away a major opportunity.
Gavin McKenna responds to his demotion
After practice on Friday, McKenna was asked about his opportunity being taken away. As you are going to hear, he is taking this graciously and in stride.
I'm 18 years old. There are a lot of guys on this team who have been in this league for a long time and know how to play that power play. So when you see a guy like John come on and take your spot, you're not too butthurt about it.
He's obviously very smart, and even for me, being on a second power-play unit in the NHL feels pretty good.
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McKenna then went on to shower Tavares in praise, noting just how important the forward has been to his development.
He's been awesome to me, and he's someone that hopefully one day, when I'm that age and there's a young guy coming into the league, I can be like him, show him what it takes and teach him a few things.
He invited a stranger into his home without even knowing me. That's pretty special and something my family and I don't take for granted.
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The rookie has the right mentality, and speaking like this is going to take him a very long way in the National Hockey League.
On Saturday night, this roster will have an opportunity to prove how it can thrive with someone like Tavares back in the lineup.
Do you believe Gavin McKenna should be on the top power play unit?
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