The Toronto Maple Leafs suffered their second loss in a row on Thursday, falling prey to the Buffalo Sabres in overtime, 5-4, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Apart from the loss, there has been plenty of buzz about the apparent benching of Maple Leafs rookie Gavin McKenna. The top pick in the 2026 NHL Draft logged a total of just 6:36 of ice time.
He never touched the ice again after the second period, as he watched his teammates from the bench for the entire third frame and overtime.
Toronto head coach Jim Hiller tried to explain the decision to let McKenna sit that long on the bench.
“We went for a stretch we had those penalties. I wanted to get him out there. He sat through the penalties, and then I didn't get him out there,” Hiller said following the game, via Sportsnet.
“He sat for so long and he sits through the intermission. Probably should've gotten him out at the start of the third. I'll talk to him about that.
“The big thing is the penalties. I guess it just didn't happen and that's on me.”
Article Continues BelowThe Maple Leafs had four total penalties in the game and 11 penalty minutes, but managed to shut down both of Buffalo's power-play attacks.
Still, it was quite a headscratcher that McKenna was left on the bench for so long. It is perhaps best viewed as part of the rookie's learning curve in the pros.
The 20-year-old Gavin McKenna failed to score a point in his first three NHL games, but he's picked things up of late, scoring two goals and dishing out three assists in the four games prior to the showdown against the Sabres.