Can the Maple Leafs Have It Both Ways With Gavin McKenna?
One of the most interesting storylines heading into the Maple Leafs’ 2026-27 season may not be a trade or a free-agent signing. It could be how the organization handles Gavin McKenna. The young forward arrives with enormous expectations, and in Toronto, expectations have a way of growing faster than players do.
Assistant general manager Ryan Hardy recently suggested that McKenna’s skill set could make him a natural fit alongside Auston Matthews. With Mitch Marner now in Vegas, there is an opening beside the captain, and McKenna’s ability to create plays through the middle of the ice makes the idea tempting. Putting a young star beside Matthews would certainly be exciting, but it would also put a giant spotlight on an 18-year-old trying to find his way in the NHL.
Developing young players in Toronto has always come with its own set of challenges.
Hardy’s comments also highlighted the challenge of developing players in Toronto. He correctly pointed out that young players will have ups and downs, and that the spotlight can become overwhelming. But there is a little bit of a contradiction there. If the Maple Leafs place McKenna on the top line with Matthews, they are also helping create those expectations. The organization can’t promote him as the next offensive star in Toronto and then be surprised when fans expect immediate results.
That is the difficult balance for the Maple Leafs. This is not a rebuilding season where the team can simply hand McKenna 18 minutes a night and accept the mistakes that come with learning. Toronto believes it can compete now. Every decision involving McKenna will have to consider both his development and the team’s playoff ambitions.
Related: What Are the Maple Leafs Actually Rebuilding?
Walking the tightrope between opportunity and helping McKenna develop.
The smart approach may be somewhere in the middle. Give McKenna opportunities, let him learn from Matthews and the veterans around him, but don’t make him responsible for fixing the holes left by previous stars. The best young players usually develop when they are challenged, not when they are asked to carry a franchise.
For the Maple Leafs, McKenna’s development will be one of the most fascinating stories of the season. How Jim Hiller uses him, where he plays in the lineup and how the organization manages expectations could tell us a lot about the new direction under John Chayka. The team is trying to build a winner, but it is also trying to build the next generation of that winner. McKenna could be the first major test of that philosophy.