Should the Maple Leafs Send Gavin McKenna to the Marlies?

Maybe it’s too early to have this conversation, but there's something funny about being the first overall pick. Everybody knows you are going to make the NHL. The only question is how quickly you’ll become a star. That is probably not the best way to think about Gavin McKenna.

The Maple Leafs selected McKenna first overall in June, and he came into the season with enormous expectations. He has the skill to justify the excitement, too. But after his first couple of NHL games, another question is worth asking: Would McKenna benefit from spending some time with the Marlies?

Easton Cowan Might Be the Example for the Maple Leafs to Follow.

Easton Cowan provides an interesting comparison. Cowan spent last season learning the NHL game before joining the Marlies for their Calder Cup playoff run. He played 66 NHL games, but Toronto eventually sent him to the AHL for the Calder Cup playoffs. He responded with 18 points in 22 games and helped the Marlies win the championship. Now, in his second NHL season, he has three points through two games.

Cowan wasn't handed anything. He had to earn his opportunities. That's an important distinction with McKenna. Nobody expected an 18-year-old first overall pick to arrive in Toronto without some special treatment. The hype was enormous before he ever played a regular-season game. And to be fair, McKenna has shown flashes of exactly why the Maple Leafs drafted him first overall.

But flashes aren't the same thing as being physically ready for 82 NHL games.

Maybe McKenna Needs More Hockey, Not More NHL Hockey.

This is where the question gets interesting. McKenna has looked skilled. At times, you can see the first-overall pick immediately. But he's also been knocked off the puck and knocked around at times. That's not surprising for an 18-year-old listed at 5-foot-11 and 164 pounds.

The answer isn't necessarily to take the kid out of the NHL. Maybe it is simply to give him more opportunities to have the puck. If McKenna were playing big minutes with the Marlies, running a power play, carrying the puck and making plays, he could work on the physical side of his game while still playing meaningful professional hockey. He wouldn't be sitting in the press box or playing eight or nine minutes a night. And he could come back stronger.

Maybe Waiting a Little Longer Is the Right Answer.

There is also a perfectly reasonable argument for waiting. It's only two games. He has the smarts to pull this off, despite still growing into his body.

McKenna has already improved since his debut, and he needs to learn the NHL game by playing it. Toronto also has plenty of veteran players around him who can help him through the adjustment. So maybe the answer is simply to give the kid a few more games.

But that's the question I'd be asking. Not whether McKenna is good enough to play in the NHL. He clearly has the talent. It's whether playing in the NHL right now is the best way to develop that talent.

Playing with the Marlies Helped Cowan. Could It Also Help McKenna?

Cowan's experience suggests that a young Maple Leafs prospect can benefit enormously from going to the Marlies, playing big minutes and coming back better. Maybe McKenna doesn't need that. The bigger question isn’t how skilled McKenna might be; it’s where an exceptional 18-year-old gets the most useful hockey.

But maybe, just maybe, the first overall pick doesn't always have to prove he's ready by staying in the NHL. Sometimes the best thing a team can do for its most talented young player is give him more time with the puck.