The Toronto Maple Leafs' 5-4 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday came with a second storyline: the handling of rookie Gavin McKenna, the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
McKenna's final shift ended with 9:40 left in the second period. He finished with 6:36 of ice time, by far his lowest total in the NHL; his previous low was 12:46 against Ottawa on October 3. He entered the night with five points (two goals, three assists) in seven games while averaging about 15 minutes a night.
Coach Jim Hiller took responsibility after the game, explaining that a stretch of penalties kept McKenna, who does not kill penalties, off the ice, and that the benching then snowballed through the intermission. Hiller acknowledged he probably should have got McKenna back out early in the third period.
Buffalo won the game on Owen Power's overtime goal after rallying from 4-2 down, on a night when Toronto's Kirill Marchenko recorded a hat trick. The Maple Leafs host the New York Islanders on Saturday, and how Hiller deploys his top pick will be closely watched.
