The Toronto Maple Leafs looked primed for a celebratory start to their three-game homestand, seemingly cruising toward a feel-good victory over the Buffalo Sabres thanks to a breakout performance from trade acquisition Kirill Marchenko.
However, a two-goal cushion heading into the third period quickly turned sour. An injury to veteran center John Tavares and a cautious approach to protecting the lead led head coach Jim Hiller to rely heavily on a few bottom-six forwards, ultimately leaving prized rookie Gavin McKenna stapled to the bench.
After the devastating 5-4 overtime collapse, the Maple Leafs face questions about their defense, with many questioning Hiller's decision to sit McKenna. Now, the Leafs' coach faces the dual challenge of erasing a deflating defeat while managing the delicate, potentially damaging psychological fallout of benching the franchise's top young star.
The High-Stakes Risk of Hiller's Decision to Sit McKenna
While Hiller took responsibility for McKenna not seeing the ice to finish the game against the Sabres, his choice could have unintended consequences. Host Justin Bourne raised some concerns on Friday's episode of Real Kyper and Bourne.
Bourne highlighted what frustrated him the most about Hiller's reluctance to use McKenna against Buffalo. "It's game eight. You're up 4-2 at home. If you can't give him experience in those moments because you're worried. Now's the time to do it. Get him out there to see how he performs. That's the perfect time to do it," said Bourne.
The Sportsnet analyst's second point was that if McKenna did nothing wrong - no bad play or not listening to coaching - then Hiller's benching says, "I don't trust you." Bourne continued, saying, "That, to me, is the worst message of all to a kid in game eight of his career. 'We just don't trust you.' And I don't think he's earned that slap in the face yet," Bourne commented.
Bourne's points are valid. After a slow start, McKenna had tallied five points in four games, with two highlight-worthy goals before the Sabres game. He looked more comfortable making plays and was seeing some time with the Leafs' top power-play unit.
McKenna's momentum from the previous four games has disappeared. Instead, he was embarrassed by sitting idly on the bench during an important divisional game that ended in an ugly loss. McKenna's benching has become the hot topic.
While Gavin McKenna has always exuded an unwavering, elite-level belief in his abilities, being relegated to the sidelines for a massive chunk of an NHL game is a stark, unfamiliar reality he has almost certainly never experienced. The sudden mid-game benching is an undeniable hit to any young player's self-belief.
To his credit, Hiller stepped up after the game, taking full responsibility, attempting to squash any simmering controversy. Hiller now needs to diffuse this situation on the ice. With John Tavares likely sidelined by injury, the perfect opportunity presents itself immediately for the Leafs' next game against the New York Islanders. Hiller must show tangible trust in McKenna by elevating his even-strength ice time and giving him a prominent role on the Maple Leafs' first power-play unit. Failing to inject that immediate vote of confidence is a dangerous, unnecessary game to play with the franchise's prized possession.
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