Gavin McKenna's Growing Pains Were On Full Display As Maple Leafs Drop A Pair Of Games Over The Weekend

In two games over the weekend, Toronto Maple Leafs rookie Gavin McKenna had what was essentially a microcosm of his season thus far.

There were some excellent moments, some nightmare shifts, and more lessons learned as he establishes himself as an elite NHLer in the making.

For starters, with the return to action of veteran forward John Tavares, McKenna was shifted off Toronto’s first power-play unit – a decision by Maple Leafs coach Jim Hiller that this writer finds questionable.

That's no slight to Tavares, but rather, a recognition that McKenna is craftier and more creative with the extra man than Tavares is at this late stage in his career. Tavares could've been used as an anchor for the secondary unit, while McKenna could've continued benefitting from playing alongside Auston Matthews and William Nylander.

The bigger, more glaring development for McKenna this past weekend is the roller-coaster ride he took Maple Leafs fans on with his learning mistakes and positive developments.

Playing against the Montreal Canadiens Saturday, McKenna had some costly moments, including two glaring turnovers, one of which directly led to a goal from Canadiens winger Chris Kreider. As soon as the puck went into Toronto's net, McKenna knew he'd be hearing about it and knew he'd be benched as he has been before.

However, McKenna would make a solid effort to redeem himself, scoring his sixth goal of the season despite taking only 15 shifts on the night. The goal gave the 18-year-old 12 points on the season – a pace that would give him 53 points in 84 games this year.

That number isn't going to blow anyone away, but McKenna is turning out to be exactly as advertised: a youngster with phenomenal vision and offensive ability who leaves much to be desired on the defensive side of the game at this stage in his career.

After Saturday's performance, McKenna came out the next day against the New Jersey Devils and was given 17:22 of ice time by Hiller – the second-highest total of his NHL career. His 20 shifts that night matched his career-high.

That said, those minutes weren't anything to write home about. McKenna was a minus-3 against the Devils – his worst showing of the season in that department – and also had the worst expected goals share on the team at 5-on-5 (24.2 xGF%).

You have to take the good with the bad when it comes to McKenna considering the type of prospect he is and the situation the Maple Leafs are in. There will be nights where his outstanding offensive instincts are front and center, and there will be nights where his defensive flaws are calamitous.

If McKenna is more than a half point-per-game player – in the midst of all the pressure and all the spotlight in the league’s toughest market – that's a solid first-impression. McKenna is still physically outmatched, and his most important focus may well be staying in the training room for every waking moment and building a physique that allows him to handle playing with grown men twice his age.

But McKenna's superb creativity is something that can't be taught, and that’s what’s going to sustain him as he morphs into a star competitor.

They do need him to be considerably more defensively responsible, but there are going to be more games where his gambles lead to goals-against. The trick for him now will be to pick his spots and learn what he can get away with.

So long as that's trending in the right direction, Toronto brass will be thrilled with McKenna's development.

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