Gavin McKenna came up with a big defensive play in Colorado on Saturday night, and the Maple Leafs teenager did it right on the doorstep.
The clip shows McKenna reaching in at the edge of the crease to sweep the puck away as an Avalanche forward tumbles to the ice, with William Nylander and Sergei Bobrovsky right there.
That's the kind of play that never shows up on a scoresheet but saves a goalie a lot of grief.
He also picked up an assist and put 2 shots on goal in 15:21 of ice time.
Watching an 18-year-old bail out his goalie like that is like seeing the new intern fix the boss's slideshow five minutes before the big meeting.
The two-way game is showing up, and Jim Hiller should reward it with more ice time.
McKenna now has 4 points through six games on a $1,075,000 cap hit.
-
Gavin McKenna's incredible play at the doorstep goes viral after a wild sequence
The Leafs won 6-3, and Bobrovsky made 30 saves on 33 shots for his first win.
Nylander was the star, piling up 2 goals and 3 assists.
Auston Matthews added 2 goals and 2 assists, while Easton Cowan scored again.
Nick Paul chipped in 2 assists, and Blankenburg found the net as well.
Kirill Marchenko picked up an assist, and Morgan Rielly added one from the back end.
Toronto pulled it off without John Tavares, who is out until at least Oct 13 after welcoming his fourth child.
Chris Tanev also left the game with an upper-body injury, so the blue line remains a question mark.
Does Hiller finally move McKenna into the top six while Tavares is away?
The Leafs are now 3-2-1 and visit Utah on Tuesday before hosting Buffalo on Thursday and the Islanders on Saturday.
Nylander leads the team with 11 points, but the teenager is starting to give the room a different kind of lift.
Plays like Saturday's are how young players earn trust. The next step is getting the minutes to match it.
Should Jim Hiller move Gavin McKenna into the top six for good?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Flyers could trade Rasmus Ristolainen sooner than expected according to Frank Seravalli
