The Maple Leafs Aren’t Asking Gavin McKenna to Play Small

Plenty of attention was always going to be paid to where Gavin McKenna landed when the Maple Leafs opened training camp. An 18-year-old first overall pick doesn't get to quietly find his way into the lineup in Toronto. Apparently, the Maple Leafs have decided not to complicate things.

McKenna will initially skate with John Tavares and William Nylander, which is about as clear a message as the organization could send. They're not putting him on a checking line and asking him to prove he can survive before giving him a chance to create. They're letting him play. And that might be the more interesting story.

McKenna talked after practice about how much confidence it gives him to be playing with players of Tavares' and Nylander's calibre. He described Tavares as a workhorse and Nylander as incredibly skilled, and said his job is basically to play his game, make his plays and get toward the net. That's a pretty good assignment for an 18-year-old.

Toronto is letting McKenna think.

The temptation with a young player is to make the NHL seem complicated. Don't make mistakes. Keep things simple. Get the puck deep. Play responsibly. Earn the coach's trust. All of that has a place, especially in Toronto, where every mistake a highly touted teenager makes will be examined in about 14 different ways.

But McKenna wasn't drafted first overall because he was a safe player. He was drafted because he sees the ice, handles the puck and creates things.

Tavares seemed particularly impressed by that part of McKenna's game. He talked about the teenager's ability to make plays when there doesn't appear to be much time or space, along with his puck control and his ability to read the game. That's the stuff you don't want to coach out of a player.

There will obviously be an adjustment. Tavares pointed out that the NHL brings a different level of size, strength, competition, and physical grind. McKenna will have to learn that part of the game. But he doesn't necessarily have to learn it by becoming somebody else.

This could be an important decision for Toronto.

Putting McKenna with Tavares and Nylander doesn't guarantee anything. Training camp lines change, and the regular season has a funny way of rearranging everybody's plans. Still, the early message is pretty clear.

The Maple Leafs appear willing to find out what McKenna can do when he's surrounded by players who can keep up with his brain and his skill. That's worth watching.

Maybe the young player struggles. Maybe the NHL catches up with him quickly. Maybe he needs more time. But if Toronto really wants to see what it has in Gavin McKenna, this is probably the right way to find out. Don't ask him to play small.

Give him good players, give him some freedom and see what happens.