Gavin McKenna made history on Monday night by scoring a power play goal for the Toronto Maple Leafs as an 18-year old.
And then he was benched for more than half the third period.
It’s an odd dichotomy for McKenna at the moment. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, a perfect outcome for the Maple Leafs who leaped up into the first spot in the lottery despite the odds suggesting that wouldn’t happen.
Coming off a terrible 2025-26 season, Toronto needed a spark, and who better to provide it than the highly anticipated McKenna?
And while McKenna has had his moments so far, he has also spent a lot of time sitting on the bench in the third period of hockey games.
Whether it’s helping the Maple Leafs in the near-term or not is almost beside the point. There’s definitely some unhappy fans about McKenna’s usage.
Gavin McKenna Makes History
First, let’s recognize the history that McKenna made on Monday night.
He was the first Maple Leafs player to score a power play goal while being just 18 in 40 years.
Vince Damphousse did it at 18 in December 1986, according to Sportsnet:
Gavin McKenna
First #Leafs 18-year-old to score a power play goal since Vince Damphousse on December 7, 1986 vs the Blues
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) October 20, 2026
McKenna did a good job of getting down low on the power play, then showing solid stick handling between a couple San Jose Sharks before slotting the puck home.
Gavin McKenna Benched, Again
More was made out of the fact that McKenna didn’t play in the third period or overtime last week — and to be fair, that was even worse.
But on Monday night, McKenna’s last shift came with 11:40 remaining in the third period.
The Maple Leafs clearly don’t trust him a ton to protect a lead, which is a similar situation that they found themselves in last Thursday against the Sabres when McKenna sat for so long.
But it also sure seems like there should be priority placed on getting the first overall pick onto the ice in a variety of situations to allow him to continue to get better.
@Michael_Traikos I can’t stand this type of coaching. Once again, take the foot off the gas and put the game in the hands of your 3rd and 4th liners. May work tonight (possibly) but deep teams will make you pay
— Holy Goalie (@Crha71) October 20, 2026
McKenna isn’t just any rookie. He was anticipated as the top pick in his class for multiple years. He’s the potential future of the Maple Leafs.
Leaving him off the ice for so long is not going to make people very happy.
Maple Leafs’ Gavin McKenna Made History, Then Got Benched Again