Jim Hiller sat Gavin McKenna for half a game, and the Maple Leafs teenager says the coach told him it had nothing to do with his play.
McKenna addressed the decision heading into tonight's home game against the Islanders. “We have a good relationship,” he said of Hiller.
“He said it had nothing to do with my play, which is obviously nice to know,” the 18-year-old added.
Then came the part that lingers. “It doesn't really take away from your confidence.”
That “really” is doing a lot of heavy lifting. A player who wasn't stung by the decision usually doesn't need the qualifier.
“I trust him. I trust the team,” he said.
And then the line every coach wants to hear: “I'm willing to play whatever role this team wants.”
With John Tavares out, Hiller's trust in the teenager gets tested tonight
Telling a teenager the benching wasn't about his play is like telling a kid the timeout wasn't a punishment. He's still the one sitting on the stairs.
And the timing makes this a lot more interesting. John Tavares is now out week to week with a lower-body injury.
Tavares had four power-play points before going down. That role, and those minutes, need a new home.
McKenna's case is right there in the numbers. All five of his points have come over his last five games.
He's still a -3 on the season, and that's the number a cautious coach will point to.
He's also playing on a $1,075,000 cap hit, and Toronto needs that kind of value on the ice, not on the bench.
So does Hiller actually trust him? Tonight's deployment will say more than any postgame answer.
Toronto can't afford to tiptoe. The Leafs have dropped two straight, including Thursday's 5-4 overtime loss to Buffalo.
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Easton Cowan, with two game-winners already, is the other obvious candidate for more ice.
If McKenna's minutes don't climb with Tavares out, that “nothing to do with my play” line gets a lot harder to believe. For him, and for everyone watching.
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Is Gavin McKenna really fine with Jim Hiller benching him for half a game?
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