Gavin McKenna lost a glove and put the puck in anyway on the first day of Maple Leafs camp, and the clip has been circulating since Thursday afternoon.
Leafslatest posted the six second video, credited to Jesse Blake, and it has already pulled 14,000 views.
Watch it once and the sequence is obvious. He comes out of a tangle along the wall with a bare hand on the stick, then slides it behind Anthony Stolarz in tight.
The drill was a battle rep against Matthew Knies, who is not a small human being. That detail matters more than the goal.
It was not his only moment either. He also set up a John Tavares goal from the slot during the same session.
Then there is where he lined up. Luke Fox reported the 18 year old skating with Tavares and William Nylander.
Auston Matthews centred the other unit between Knies and free agent addition Jack Roslovic. So much for easing anybody in.
Here is the clip :
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John Tavares is his linemate and his roommate
The kid from Whitehorse is living with the veteran centre and his family this season. That is a level of investment most first overall picks never get.
Jim Hiller talked about the balance on Wednesday. The goal is putting him in the best position to succeed while doing the same for everybody else on the team.
The coach also said they had been thoughtful about where exactly he starts, but that eventually he has to get out there and play hockey.
A spot opened up too. Max Domi failed his physical and is out indefinitely, which removes a body from the middle of that lineup.
Nylander is the one who makes this line work. Seventy nine points last season, even with a -14 rating attached.
Tavares is the other half. He scored 31 times at 35 years old and still finished at minus-28.
Those ratings are not a knock on either guy. Matthews put up 53 points in 60 games and came in at -4 on a $13.25 million cap hit.
The context is a team that finished 32-36-14, last in the Atlantic, and gave up 299 goals. This is the group an 18 year old is being asked to lift.
The preseason opener is Saturday against Montreal, and the regular season opens against the same team on September 29.
So how long before he is centring something instead of riding shotgun?
Easing him in lasted exactly one practice. That is like promising to cut out sugar and starting the day with a doughnut.
Hiller said things slowly start to reveal themselves. Two days ago the plan was lower in the lineup, and that lasted until the first whistle.
Does Gavin McKenna belong in the Maple Leafs top six from opening night?
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