Gavin McKenna watched from the Maple Leafs bench Thursday night as the Sabres erased a 4-2 Toronto lead.
The 18-year-old hadn't taken a shift since 10:20 of the second period. Luke Fox noted he'd skated just 6:36, on pace for his lowest usage yet.
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So while Buffalo pushed, Jim Hiller kept Toronto's most exciting teenager parked. The door never opened for him.
Whatever's behind it, the timing makes no sense. He came into tonight with two goals and three assists over his last five games.
That's a kid figuring it out in real time. Most coaches reward that kind of run with more rope, not a seat.
Instead, a two-goal cushion on home ice turned into a coin flip. And the forward who'd been producing watched it happen.
Thursday marked the first meeting between these Atlantic rivals this season. Toronto came in at 3-3-1, with a 2-2-0 record at home.
Jim Hiller's short leash on a teenager sparks a Toronto debate
Hiller was only hired in June. Nights like this one shape how a locker room reads a new coach, and they shape it fast.
The depth chart doesn't help his case. Teddy Blueger and Brandon Duhaime have combined for no points through seven games apiece.
Benoit-Olivier Groulx has been blanked on the scoresheet over five games, too. Nobody in that bottom six is exactly forcing the issue.
Shortening the bench on a kid who's been feeding the offense is a bad idea. Doing it and still watching the lead slip away is worse.
It's like taking the car keys from the teenager who just aced his road test, then backing into the mailbox yourself.
Toronto's top end has been doing the heavy lifting. Auston Matthews has 12 points, every one of them over his last five games.
William Nylander has matched him point for point. Easton Cowan, 21, already owns two game-winning goals, so youth hasn't been the problem in this lineup.
The blue line is thinner with Chris Tanev on IR. He's out with an upper-body injury until at least Oct. 22.
The crease hasn't stolen much either. Anthony Stolarz carries an .875 save percentage, while Sergei Bobrovsky sits at .907.
Buffalo arrived with a -7 goal differential and a 0-1-1 road record. Rasmus Dahlin is listed day-to-day with an upper-body issue.
Tage Thompson leads the Sabres with four goals and a +5 rating. Not exactly the opponent you tighten the rotation against.
The Islanders visit Saturday as the homestand rolls on. How many shifts McKenna gets that night will say more about Hiller's plan than any postgame scrum.
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Should Jim Hiller have sent Gavin McKenna back out with the Leafs' lead slipping?
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