TORONTO ā Gavin McKenna adapts as fast as he shifts directions.
The leap in performance from the teenagerās first pre-season game to his second was so loud, you could hear it in the gasps from Wednesdayās Scotiabank Arena crowd, an impressive portion of which were already decked out in straight-off-the-rack No. 92 sweaters.
Be it speed or confidence, rewind-worthy dangles or clever reads, McKennaās improvement from Saturday to Wednesday was the talk of the barn.
āI think we all saw that, didnāt we?ā Toronto Maple Leafs coach Jim Hiller said. āItās going to be a process for him to understand and adapt. But that was pretty encouraging to be able to come back from Game 1 and show us what he did tonight.ā
What he did was deftly chip a D-zone puck along the wall to a rushing William Nylander, who buttered one cross-ice to John Tavares. Billet Dad scored on McKennaās first assist in a Leafs uni.
What he did was feign an O-zone retreat before slicing through two Ottawa defenders and drawing a hooking penalty that quickly led to a Jack Roslovic power-play goal.
What he did was bring a growingly optimistic fan base out of its seats with spins and passes and prolonged head-up carries through traffic.
āHeās a hard guy to contain, right?ā Hiller continued. āIf you ask me, āWhatās the one part of his game that has caught you off-guard?ā I would say itās his skating. It’s his speed. I don’t know if he was talked about that way. Skating and straightaway speed has been really good.ā
Knowing he was joining a league that can run laps around the NCAA, McKenna emphasized skating work over the summer. Not only straight-line pace for rush attacks and backchecking, but switching gears to deceive his checks and earn space to create.
āHe really settled in tonight. Had the puck on his stick a lot, a lot of quick plays to a lot of guys out there, give-and-goes and buying his ice and creating space for himself and his teammates,ā Jake McCabe said. āLots of great flashes.ā
Youāve probably seen those flashes making the rounds on social media already.
But the coach also saw fewer turnovers like the one McKenna committed against Montreal Saturday, a debut in which the No. 1 pick admitted he felt āa bit timid.āĀ
No timidity could be spotted Wednesday.Ā
McKenna tilted the ice something fierce. The Leafs outscored the Sens 3-0, outshot them 13-2, and outchanced them 13-2 when McKenna hit the ice at five-on-five.
No wonder Hiller promoted the rookie to Auston Matthewsā top line mid-game. More flashes. More quick chemistry.
āThat was the encouraging part. Game over game, he was able to create a little bit more space for himself. It was almost like he made that adjustment naturally. I know he lives with John Tavares. They talked quite a bit on the way home after the last game about what it was like. So, I would say heās got a great mentor there in John. But I know he talks to Willy too. He talks to Auston,ā Hiller said.
āHe wasnāt really in the O-zone much last game. He was on the forecheck tonight. He was on the (back)track again. So, it seems to me that heās adjusting pretty well to the game without the puck, too.ā
McKennaās self-assessment?
āI felt good out there,ā he said. āIt gives us all a big confidence boost, having a game like this where you win 6-1, donāt give a whole lot up defensively.Ā
āThatās huge for our team, huge for myself, and that’s how you want to end a preseason game. So, itās a lot good going into Game 1.ā
Hiller wants more from Knies
If any top-six forwardās stock dipped a notch during this sprint of a pre-season, it is power forward Matthew Knies.Ā
Not only did Knies lose his net-front spot on the top power-play unitĀ out of the gate, but the left wing sat on the bench while McKenna and Easton Cowan each got a shift or two alongside Auston Matthews and Jack Roslovic on the left side of Line 1.
While fully recovered from a knee injury that nagged him last season, Knies has yet to pop off the page as strongly as the other five members of the top six.
āWasnāt that dangerous. I think he only had one shot on goal, took one to the net. So, I think he’s been OK. I wouldn’t say strongly one way or the other,ā Hiller assessed.Ā
āI think thereās more there, for sure.ā
Marshall Rifai wonāt make the Leafs out of camp, as was the Calder Cup champās aim, but his willingness to fight Florian Xhekaj Saturday did not go unnoticed by Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and the rest of the organization.
āItās just setting the tone right away from a culture standpoint,ā Rifai told reporters. āIf you saw where the Marlies were when I got here and where weāre at today, I think itās a lot different.Ā
āThis part of the year is about gelling and knowing we have each otherās backs.ā
This is a team eager to scrub the stain of Radko Gudasās greasy kneeing of Matthews last seasonĀ going unpunishedĀ in the moment.
Teddy Blueger also jumped in to fight Ethan Samson Saturday after the Montreal blue-liner levelled Vinni Lettieri.
And recently hired muscle Zack MacEwan dropped āem with Hayden Hodgson Wednesday, igniting Scotiabank Arena. Matthews scored 42 seconds later.
āYou look back to the Marlies and why we won a championship, it was that kind of mentality,ā scrapper Michael Pezzetta said. āIf someone goes down, youāre getting right in there and every single guy would stand up for each other. And when you have that feeling in the room, itās special. And itās something you build one day at a time and that was a good start.ā
A little insight into why John Chayka went out and signed so many fourth-line wingers in July: Dakota Joshua has been dealing with a core injury since the new GM took the job in May and, although he practises regularly, has not been cleared for game action.
Injuries and inconsistency limited Joshua, 30, to 55 games last season, his first in Toronto. The forward, who overcame testicular cancer prior to joining the team, suffered a lacerated kidney in late December but did finish the season.
āJust as he ramps up, itās been hard to get into game shape and be ready to play,ā Chayka said. āHeās still day-to-day, and weāre hoping that it progresses. But itās been a while now.ā
In other roster news, the Leafs placed Cole McWard and Dakota Mermis on waivers for the purpose of AHL reassignment.Ā
While Daniel Alfredsson travelled to head coach Torontoās B squad at Bell Centre Saturday, the Leafsā new associate head coach did not assume the same responsibility Wednesday in Ottawa.
That task fell to John Gruden. And so, AlfredssonāsĀ awkward homecomingĀ will be pushed to Jan. 20, when the Leafs visit Canadian Tire Centre.
āThe hard one for him will be going back into Ottawa,ā Hiller said. āThatās what I think. He gave us some input this morning on some of the stuff that Ottawa does well. So, thatās a resource for us. But I think thereāll be a lot more questions about that once we go into Ottawa.ā
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