‘He’s got some swag’: How Gavin McKenna fared in his Maple Leafs debut, and why he skipped the morning skate - Toronto Star
The Leafs' No. 1 pick took a few hits, had some hiccups and gave himself low marks vs. Canadiens.
Maple Leafs rookie forward Gavin McKenna follows the play with Zack Bolduc of the Montreal Canadiens on his tail in Tuesday night’s season opener at Scotiabank Arena.
It wasn’t quite the dramatic four-goal introduction Auston Matthews offered Maple Leafs fans a decade ago, but Gavin McKenna sent a few messages with his NHL debut.
The first overall draft pick made some plays and a few set-ups on a line with John Tavares and William Nylander. He worked on the second power-play unit as well in a 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens in Tuesday night’s season opener at Scotiabank Arena.
McKenna also took a few hits, although Montreal heavyweight Arber Xhekaj seemed to go easy on him in one rush to the corner, when the rookie beat an icing call.
There were a few hiccups, including a giveaway at his own blue line that turned into a Montreal scoring chance.
Just a kid living out his dream 💙 Gavin McKenna mic'd up for his NHL debut 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/Uh71iknnYV
“Not great,” he said after the game. “I had a couple of turnovers. I’m glad we’re playing again (Wednesday vs. the Islanders) so I can regroup. Montreal’s a good team. They don’t give you a whole lot of time and space.”
There were also a few daring cross-ice passes. They worked, but that would have been a no-no last season under coach Craig Berube.
McKenna can be thankful for debuting under Jim Hiller, who has taken the reins off and is prepared to let creativity flow. That will help the young forward play his game at the NHL level without looking over his shoulder and worrying about getting benched or scratched.
At 18 years and 283 days, he was the youngest player to make his Leafs debut since defenceman Drake Berehowsky (18 years, 274 days) on Oct. 4, 1990.
“It’s pretty hard to forget a day like this,” said McKenna. “I got that rookie lap. Saw my family on the glass during warm-ups, hearing your name called in the intros, it’s all pretty special.”
