The Toronto Maple Leafs’ loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday left plenty to discuss, but Jim Hiller’s decision to bench Gavin McKenna became one of the biggest talking points. Toronto blew a two-goal lead before losing 5-4 in overtime, while the rookie watched from the bench during the third period and overtime. McKenna’s absence raised questions about what prompted the decision, and former player Jay Rosehill and analyst Jeff Marek offered their views on what may have led Hiller to keep the rookie out.
Jay Rosehill believes Jim Hiller’s decision to bench Gavin McKenna went too far
On Friday’s edition of The Leafs Morning Take, former player Rosehill said Hiller appeared to be trying to teach McKenna a lesson about his defensive play, but the decision eventually backfired.
“Oh look, here’s my take on this thing. Jim Hiller got caught trying to teach Gavin McKenna a lesson, for lack of a better word,” Rosehill said. “In order for him to play on the top six lines, the top power play unit, he’s going to have to show the coaching staff that he’s understanding the defensive side of the puck and showing more responsibility.”
However, he felt Hiller took the approach too far by keeping the rookie out of the game as Toronto lost control of its lead.
“I don’t like it. I didn’t like it. I think the guy learns by playing more and watching video and talking to the coaches and talking to other players about what he’s seeing out there and what can be different,” Rosehill said.
Jeff Marek Suggests Jim Hiller Wanted to Shield the Rookie From Criticism
Marek also shared his take on the situation during Friday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE. He suggested that Hiller may have benched McKenna to send him a message while trying to shield the 18-year-old from further criticism.
“I think this is a case where, and I don’t know what it is or what it could be, but this is a coach sending a message to a young player, but then diving on the grenade so the player doesn’t get hounded by it,” Marek said. “I think Hiller is very sensitive. He does not want to start a fire right now around Gavin McKenna, the first overall pick.”
He further said, “We all know how those things end up for head coaches here right now. So, I think it’s a delicate dance that Hiller is doing here, wanting to send a message to the kid for whatever reason, and that’s the piece that we don’t know.”
McKenna finished Thursday’s game with just nine shifts and 6:36 of ice time. He watched from the bench as the Maple Leafs’ two-goal lead disappeared and Buffalo completed its comeback in overtime.