Gavin McKenna’s First Big NHL Lesson May Be More Than Hockey

Last night, Gavin McKenna spent almost the entire second half of Thursday’s game on the bench. The Maple Leafs’ rookie played just 6:36 as Toronto lost 5–4 in overtime to Buffalo.

Afterward, coach Jim Hiller explained that penalties threw off his plans to get McKenna back on the ice. And once the rookie had been sitting for so long, Hiller didn’t think it was fair to throw him back into the game. He admitted he should’ve handled it differently.

It’s a strange situation, really. McKenna had been enjoying early success, and suddenly he was watching his team surrender a two-goal lead. Hiller has his reasons, McKenna has plenty to learn, and the Maple Leafs have problems that go well beyond one young forward.

But I wonder what an 18-year-old makes of a night like that.

What Does a Young Player Like McKenna Do With This?

We shouldn’t pretend we know what’s going through McKenna’s head. Maybe he’s frustrated. Maybe he’s embarrassed. Or maybe he thinks he needs to play a little safer. Or perhaps he’s already put the whole thing behind him and is looking forward to the next game. Those are all possibilities. What matters is what he does next.

One response would be to press. Try to make something happen every shift, prove the coach wrong, and show everybody why Toronto made him the first overall pick. That’s understandable, but it can get a young player into trouble. Hockey is hard enough without feeling you have to prove your worth every time you touch the puck.

Another option is to pull back a little. Play cautiously, avoid mistakes, and hope the coach notices the responsible stuff. That can be just as dangerous for an offensive player whose greatest strength is making things happen.

His best response might be the hardest. Can he simply accept the lesson, hold onto his confidence, ask questions when he needs to, and keep playing his game? If his defensive play is the issue, can he learn the defensive responsibilities without losing the creativity that got him here in the first place?

Could This Become a Turning Point for McKenna?

One night on the bench doesn’t make a watershed moment. What matters is what happens next, and that depends on McKenna and the people coaching him. Hiller has some responsibility here, too. He acknowledged his mistake and said he’d talk to the youngster. That’s a good place to start. McKenna needs honest feedback, not guesswork about where he stands.

At 18, he’s learning about the NHL, but he’s also learning how to handle disappointment, uncertainty, and a little public embarrassment. Those lessons don’t always arrive neatly packaged. I hope McKenna comes back hungry, but not desperate. There’s a difference.

The Maple Leafs drafted him for what he can become, not because he’s already a finished product. If he can take a frustrating night and use it to grow without losing his nerve, that may be worth something down the road.

We won’t know for a while. But sometimes a young player’s career isn’t shaped only by the nights when everything goes right. Sometimes it’s shaped by what he does after a night when almost nothing makes sense.

Related: 3 Major Developments From the Maple Leafs’ Loss to the Sabres