Why Gavin McKenna was benched in Maple Leafs’ loss to Sabres

As the Toronto Maple Leafs watched another multi-goal lead disintegrate, as they could have used a play or two to reset a rink that was increasingly tilting toward Sergei Bobrovsky’s crease, and as 3-on-3 overtime begged for a hero, Gavin McKenna sat upright in the middle of the bench. 

Toes cold and brow dry, McKenna had a front-row seat as a 4-2 lead for the home side dissolved into a gutsy 5-4 OT win for the banged-up Buffalo Sabres.

The much-celebrated, highly scrutinized rookie had entered Thursday’s divisional tussle on a four-game point streak, his confidence high and eyes wide after his first taste of NHL road life.

And yet, Jim Hiller saw something midway through the second period that caused the head coach to sit McKenna for the game’s final 32:54.

“That was my decision. We went for a stretch — I think we had those (two second-period) penalties. I wanted to get him out there. He sat through those penalties, and then I didn’t get him out there through that stretch. And then the last few minutes of the period, we’re just trying to get out of the period, I guess you would say. And then now, as I’ve sat him for so long, and he sits in the intermission. So I probably should have got him out there early in the third. I didn’t. So, I’ll talk to him about that,” Hiller said.

“We talked about getting him out in third, and I guess it just didn’t happen. That’s on me. And then once we got into that stage, I decided, I’m not gonna put him out there now. I’ve been sitting him for 30 minutes.”

Hiller essentially chopped his bench down to nine forwards in crunch time, as fourth-liner Zack MacEwen also got benched midway and centre John Tavares left early due to injury. Hiller has yet to use McKenna in 3-on-3, and on this night, the coach called defensive forward Colton Sissons’ number over No. 92 in that situation.

McKenna finished with a season-low 6:36 ice time and one shot on net. A couple shifts before his benching, the winger got aggressive up-ice and was beat twice before the Sabres transitioned quickly and Jack Quinn scored his second of the game, which tied the contest 2-2 at the time.

McKenna got dashed up and is now a minus-2 through eight games. The 18-year-old also got hit in open ice early by Konsta Helenius.

Hiller described McKenna’s abbreviated game as “OK, fine.” He created some looks on the third line. Scoring chances were 6-4 in favour of Toronto when McKenna was on the ice but he is struggling to slow opponents through the neutral zone.

Despite a request, McKenna was not made available to speak postgame due to a “team decision,” and the Maple Leafs have opted to take Friday off from practicing.

McKenna had said he’ll always remember his last game at Scotiabank Arena — when he scored his first goal, registered his first point, and fuelled a rollicking comeback victory over the Predators.

He might very well remember this one, too. 

An incredible airborne snag at the blueline by Auston Matthews that led to a beautiful give-and-go strike. A highlight-reel hat trick by Kirill Marchenko. Both feats losing the narrative battle to a blown lead and a benched star-in-the-making.

“Those things kind of happen sometimes. I think everybody’s been in that situation before. And it’s not necessarily a situation you want to be in, but we’ve all got his back,” Matthews said.

“I know a game like tonight is gonna just make him hungry for the next one to go out there and compete and dominate. And excited to watch that.”

Will the McKenna benching serve as a harsh lesson to an offensively gifted teenager still acclimatizing to the rigours of defending properly within a pro system?

One would hope.

Could it also act as a lesson for a coach desperate for some plays to get made amid a late collapse but not calling the number of one of his best playmakers?

“You just have to be able to have a little poise and somebody to make a play,” Hiller said of the loss. “Give them credit. They put us on our heels, and we just couldn’t make two plays in a row.”