Nick Kypreos: Maple Leafs rookie Gavin McKenna has never lacked confidence. It might be starting to cost him - Toronto Star

Mistakes are going to happen, but why are they happening so often with the Leafs' No. 1 overall pick?

Nick Kypreos is a former NHL player, Stanley Cup champion and current host of Sportsnet’s Real Kyper and Bourne radio show. He is a freelance contributing columnist for the Star and is based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @RealKyper.

No one will ever question Gavin McKenna’s talent.

The Maple Leafs rookie is a special offensive player. He can score, create chances and change the complexion of a game. His instincts and creativity are extremely rare. No coach can take those qualities out of his game, nor should they.

Then there’s his confidence, a must-have trait to become a star in this league. McKenna has that in spades.

The trouble with having so much confidence is that there are times where it can come across as arrogance.

McKenna’s turnovers and giveaways this week have turned into as much of a storyline as his impressive mark of 13 points in his first 20 NHL games. And while his talent is immense, the bad habits he’s showing on the ice — and the rate in which he’s showing them — should not be understated.

There are basic defensive fundamentals that young players need to be successful at the NHL level.

Little things like closing the gap when checking opponents or pivoting without taking your eyes off the puck. Making the safe play on a breakout and the smart play in the neutral zone. Turning pucks over at either blue line is the cardinal sin for a winger, and McKenna is killing the Leafs in that respect right now.

Leafs winger Gavin McKenna reacts as the Montreal Canadiens celebrate a win in Toronto last Saturday.

No one is asking for perfection out of an 18-year-old, but McKenna does have a responsibility to be strong enough defensively to avoid consistently hurting the team. And that brings us to the concern we’re seeing right now.

Mistakes are going to happen. Right now, they are happening on repeat. McKenna is doing things he shouldn’t be doing on the ice on a regular basis. Whatever coach Jim Hiller is telling him, the rookie is clearly not absorbing it. And all of this can make it look like a young player’s hubris is getting in the way.

There’s a danger that comes with being the No. 1 overall pick in the NHL draft, knowing that you were desired more than every other hockey player your age.

For the most part, McKenna is saying all the right things in the media, though sometimes he’ll slip a bit, which is what we’re seeing in his game right now.

When McKenna’s pass was easily picked off by Montreal Canadiens forward Chris Kreider last Saturday, his second costly turnover of the game, the ensuing breakaway goal essentially made a Leafs comeback out of reach.

McKenna with his SECOND bad turnover of the game and Kreider makes him pay AGAIN 😵‍💫 It's THREE-nothing Habs 🚨 https://t.co/933g0mNNGv

Shortly after that difficult game against the Leafs’ rivals, the rookie was asked about the Hall of Fame Game against the New Jersey Devils the next night. “That’ll be super cool,” he told reporters. “A lot of legends at the game, so hopefully I can put on a show for them.”

On the surface, it may seem like an overzealous comment from a confident teenager. McKenna was likely expressing his excitement about playing with some special guests in attendance. But for a young player who’s struggling mightily defensively and just played a big part in a tough loss on home ice, looking to “put on a show” feels like misplaced priorities.

What the Leafs needed was a simpler, two-way performance that doesn’t cost them goals. While McKenna was not the reason his team lost 4-0, he was minus-three on the night.

The struggles continued in Tuesday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche, where McKenna coughed up the puck to Cale Makar when he should have got it deep, leading to Brock Nelson’s goal.

Colorado goal! Scored by Brock Nelson with 03:51 left in the 1st. Assisted by T.J. Hughes and Jaden Schwartz. TOR: 1 | COL: 1 #COLvsTOR #PassionNeverSleeps #GoAvsGo https://t.co/PaZTeTk2wv

As much as the Leafs need McKenna to score, which he’s done effectively in about 14 minutes of ice time per game, they equally need him to manage the puck, win his assignments and be someone they can trust when the game is close.

McKenna isn’t doing any of that on an acceptable level right now. That doesn’t mean he should be punished or stapled to the bench. But he does need to find a way to be better.

Nearly every first overall pick comes into the NHL as a can’t-miss prospect. We know by now that having success in junior or college hockey does not guarantee it at the NHL level — just ask Alexandre Daigle, Patrik Stefan and Nail Yakupov.

Ten years ago, Auston Matthews went through the same thing McKenna is now. As good as he was offensively, scoring 40 goals in his rookie year, he was just as reliable defensively and was not nearly as careless with the puck.