Jim Hiller just called out Gavin McKenna after the Maple Leafs lost 3-6 to Colorado, and a trip to the AHL is now part of the conversation.
McKenna picked up an assist in 13:14 of ice time last night, but his coach wasn't talking about the scoresheet. Toronto has now lost four straight, and the first overall pick is the one Hiller chose to single out.
"He had a couple of turnovers, and you just can't," Hiller said. "You can't do it. You can't continue to do it. You know what I mean?"
The Maple Leafs coach kept the details of the conversation private. "I'll keep most of that between him and me, but he knows," Hiller said.
Then came the softer part. Hiller called McKenna "a great young player" with a "good attitude" who has "come a long way," and added that "it's just tough sometimes."
This isn't the first time the coach has aimed a pointed comment at the 18-year-old. After the Utah loss, we reported on Jim Hiller's blunt answer on Gavin McKenna's third period, and the tone was similar.
Then came the lineup consequences. Mark Masters reported that John Tavares was back on the top power-play unit at practice, and Hiller moved Gavin McKenna off the top power-play unit in the process.
Does Gavin McKenna really head to the AHL?
Nothing Hiller said confirms a move. He said the details stay between him and his player, and he praised McKenna in the same breath.
But a coach who says "you can't continue to do it" is drawing a line. Reduced power-play time, 13:14 of ice time on a night the team chased the game, and now a public warning: the pattern points in one direction.
McKenna has 13 points in 20 games, three of them on the power play, and a -11 rating. Those numbers are what an 18-year-old on a team that is 8-10-2 and 23rd in the NHL should be expected to produce.
Sending him down over turnovers would be the wrong read. Toronto has allowed 70 goals, and Sergei Bobrovsky gave up five on 27 shots last night. The problems in that building run well beyond one teenager's giveaways.
Still, the choice belongs to Hiller and John Chayka. The next look comes Thursday, when the Maple Leafs host Minnesota and McKenna's minutes will say plenty about where this is heading.
This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.
Should the Maple Leafs send Gavin McKenna to the AHL after Jim Hiller's comments?
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