Maple Leafs Can Help Gavin McKenna by Asking for More

Every young player wants to play with the best players on the team. That seems pretty natural to me. You figure the stars will make the game easier, create some room, and give you a chance to show what you can do. But I'm starting to wonder whether Gavin McKenna might be learning something important by playing a different role with the Maple Leafs.

Should McKenna be given the third line to drive?

McKenna has spent some time on the third line, and why is worth considering. When a young player plays alongside established stars, it's easy to become a little too comfortable letting them run the show. You get the puck to them, find some open ice, and hope something good happens.

On a line where you're expected to do more of the driving, things change. You have to make decisions. You have to create opportunities. And sometimes you have to be the player who makes something happen.

That's where a small play in Saturday's 6-3 win over Colorado caught my attention. McKenna showed patience with the puck rather than rushing a shot from the wing. He held onto it, turned up ice, and created a better opportunity for Raddysh.

It wasn't just a nice pass. It was a young player recognizing that he had time to make a better play.

The Maple Leafs’ elite players are noticing McKenna’s skill.

William Nylander certainly noticed. After the game, he praised McKenna's pass on his goal, calling it unbelievable and pointing to the young player's ability to make plays all over the ice.

There's another reason to pay attention. McKenna recorded a power-play assist against Colorado, extending his point streak to three games. According to the reported milestone, he's the first Maple Leafs player aged 18 or younger to record a point in three straight games since Russ Courtnall did it in March 1984. That's a nice bit of history. But I'm more interested in what comes next.

The Maple Leafs don’t need to rush McKenna up to the top line.

The Maple Leafs don't need to rush McKenna into a starring role just because he's talented. They need to help him become the kind of player who can drive a line, create offence, and make his teammates better. Maybe that means playing with the biggest names on the roster. Maybe it means being asked to carry more responsibility on the third line.

I'm inclined to think the second option has value, too. Sometimes development isn't about giving a young player more help. It's about giving him enough responsibility to discover what he can do on his own.