Why Gavin McKenna, the PP are in focus in Maple Leafs pre-season opener

All eyes will be on No. 92 as he skates for first time in blue and white

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Gavin McKenna’s first game with the Maple Leafs is upon us.

Never mind that it’s a pre-season, split-squad game against the Montreal Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday night.

All eyes will be on No. 92 as he skates for the first time in blue and white.

Sergei Bobrovsky will start in goal, and veteran Chris Tanev, having recovered from core muscle surgery, will play for the first time since Dec. 28.

Three items of interest we’ll be keeping an eye on as the Leafs return to home ice for the first time since April 13, when they lost against the Dallas Stars in their final home game of the disastrous 2025-26 season:

Something to keep in mind regarding McKenna: What happens on Saturday will be just the first step in one of many as his National Hockey League rookie season unfolds. His performance on a line with John Tavares and William Nylander, good or bad, won’t make or break anything.

There’s a fairly simple directive for McKenna from the coaching staff.

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“Just get out there and play,” Leafs coach Jim Hiller said on Saturday morning. “We don’t want to put extra pressure on him. If you asked him, you’d probably say, ‘I want to play 22 minutes. I want to run the first power play,’ and that’s exactly what he should say.

“There’ll be a chance over time, whether that’s one game, two, 10, 20, where his role will increase in different areas.”

The talent and skill with McKenna have been obvious through the first few days of camp. His combination of vision, playmaking and scoring touch already have set him apart. Playing against another NHL team, and not his teammates, and being effective will be his first challenge.

There’s another factor in McKenna’s game that has stood out.

“He has this motor that doesn’t stop,” veteran winger Steven Lorentz said. “He’s always moving his feet. He always seems to be in the right spots, and the puck seems to find him. He’s going to have a lot of success in this league. I’m excited to share the ice with him tonight, and I’m excited to see what he can do.”

HOW WILL THE POWER PLAY LOOK?

The talk in camp usually has some variation of having to earn a position and don’t expect anything to be handed out.

That doesn’t apply to Jack Roslovic, who not only starts on captain Auston Matthews’ wing but also will get an initial look on the No. 1 power-play unit.

Hiller’s first PP group, for now, features Darren Raddysh on the point and Matthews, Roslovic, Nylander and Tavares.

Roslovic wasn’t part of the top PP unit with the Edmonton Oilers last season. Led by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the Oilers were first in the NHL with a man advantage.

“He gets a little bit of an advantage there as being a right shot,” Hiller said. “In a perfect world, you’re set up that way on your power play. You have middle lefty-righty at the bottom, and you have your flank set up.”

What we’ll be curious to see, too, is how teams defend against Raddysh’s booming blast from the point. If the attempt is made to take that away, Matthews especially should be more free to unload his shot. In theory, at least.

“Once you take one thread away, that usually would open something else up,” Hiller said. “Anytime there’s somebody at the top with an extremely hard shot, accurate shot, that becomes a focus, and the other players become less of a focus.

“Willie has a great shot as well. You’re going to have to pick your poison a little bit.”

McKenna was on the second unit at the morning skate with defenceman Emil Andrae as well as Matthew Knies, Bo Groulx and Tinus Luc Koblar.

HAVE THE LEAFS BOUGHT INTO HILLER’S EARLY MESSAGE?

Too many times last season the Leafs were happy to observe. Too many times they were beaten with speed as the club finished out of the Stanley Cup playoff for the first time since 2016.

There are a few factors that can get the Leafs back on the right side of the defensive coin.

For Hiller, the most crucial is not, or should not be, difficult to grasp.

“If you say, ‘Hey, Leafs are skating,’ you know that we’re doing some of the right things,” Hiller said. “I’ll give you that as the No. 1 thing I want to see.

“If you’re moving, if you’re tracking back, if you’re supporting, and you’re really working your way back, and you’re skating, that makes everything else a lot easier. The rest of the details, and how am I going to sort this out? Who’s got this guy? If people are moving, it makes that much easier. That would be the defensive impact we’re looking for.”

The Leafs’ lineup for the game on Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena:

Matthew Knies-Auston Matthews-Jack Roslovic

Gavin McKenna-John Tavares-William Nylander

Steven Lorentz-Jacob Quillan-Zack MacEwen

Bo Groulx-Tinus Luc Koblar-Harry Nansi

Marshall Rifai-Darren Raddysh

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