Jim Hiller wastes no time shaking up the Maple Leafs and it shows

Jim Hiller kept Gavin McKenna on the bench in overtime Tuesday night, on the same night the Maple Leafs rookie scored his first NHL goal.

Toronto still walked out with a 5-4 win over Nashville. The 18-year-old just watched the ending like everyone else in the building.

And it wasn't because he'd been quiet. McKenna had his sharpest night as a pro, with a goal, an assist and four shots on goal in 14:45.

The Leafs had to climb out of a 3-0 hole to get there. John Tavares scored the goal that started the comeback, and Hiller's mid-game line juggling helped tilt the rest.

So why sit the kid when it mattered most? Three-on-three hockey rewards exactly the kind of vision the rookie showed all night.

Hiller leaned on his veterans instead, and Auston Matthews made the call look smart. The captain scored the overtime winner and finished with four points in 25:09.

Overtime ice works like the last word at a family dinner. Rookies rarely get it, even on the nights they've clearly earned it.

John Tavares at 2C is the lineup problem Hiller can't dodge

The bigger question sits in the middle of the second line. Tavares, now 36, is still centering it, and he's gone minus-2 through four games.

His finish hasn't left him. He put six shots on goal against Nashville, more than anyone else on the roster that night.

But keeping him at 2C is the wrong call, plain and simple. The pace at five-on-five has gotten away from him, and the Leafs have better options sitting right there.

Let Tavares feast on the power play and soften his even-strength matchups. Slide Nick Paul up to center McKenna and William Nylander, where the forechecking and net-front work would actually get used.

Paul's -4 rating isn't pretty yet. Still, his line with Easton Cowan and Colton Sissons has been one of the few groups consistently winning pucks back.

Nylander leads the club with six points through four games. Putting him beside the team's best young playmaker more often feels like the easiest lever Hiller hasn't pulled.

The blue line is a different story. Darren Raddysh logged 25:51 on Tuesday, and the Leafs are leaning on him like a $8,500,000 workhorse should be leaned on.

Behind him, the depth looks thin. Troy Stecher played 17:20 against the Predators, a heavy load for a third-pair type.

In goal, Anthony Stolarz stopped 21 of 25 shots to collect the win. Sergei Bobrovsky is still searching for his first one, sitting 0-2 with an .887 save percentage.

All four games so far have come at home, and the 2-2-0 start has Toronto 18th overall. The real test starts now, with Colorado and Utah waiting after Thursday.

First up is Vegas, 3-1-0 with a +7 goal differential. Mitch Marner will be on the other bench, which guarantees the noise level in Toronto stays loud.

If that one goes to overtime, every eye will be on Hiller's first three-man unit. Will the rookie finally get the tap on the shoulder, or keep watching from the bench?

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