Toronto Maple Leafs fans should be more excited than ever because, in Wednesday’s game at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, the team made a dominant play that sends a bold statement ahead of the upcoming NHL season.
A lot has been said about the Maple Leafs this offseason, especially because of the moves they made to restructure the front office and their roster.
Among the team’s additions, the one that has generated the most discussion is undoubtedly the 2026 draft’s No. 1 overall prospect, Gavin McKenna. Speculation has centered on whether he is ready to be a first-line forward alongside Auston Matthews or whether it would be better to bring him along gradually.
Well, on Wednesday, in the game against the Ottawa Senators that took place in Toronto, because we have to remember that another game was also held at the same time in Ottawa, with the rosters split, McKenna was involved in a play alongside William Nylander and John Tavares, in what looks like it could be a second offensive line for next season.
You can watch the play in the recent video the Maple Leafs posted on their social media accounts, or watch it directly by clicking here.
Maple Leafs Test McKenna-Tavares-Nylander Line in Preseason
Last week on The Leafs Morning Take, Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill discussed the lines tested during the Leafs’ preseason training camp practices, and the one featuring Tavares, Nylander, and McKenna stood out in particular.
“Now, this is the gist of the lines that they looked like, at least on day one, and I like to try on day two as well, with Knies-Matthews-Roslovic, McKenna-Tavares-Nylander, Paul-Sissons-Cowan, Duhaime-Blueger-Lorentz, and it looked like (Dakota) Joshua was on the outside looking in, at least on day one,” Alberga said.
He added, “Day two, a different variation: you had Nick Paul up the middle, Cowen-Sissons-Joshua, Blueger-Duhaime-Lorentz. So it looks like that last battle could come down to Dakota Joshua and Steven Lorentz.”
At the time, the pundits discussed it speculatively and even emphasized that it did not necessarily reflect what we would see next season.
Alberga said, “I’ll be honest, not going to put a lot of stock in line combinations. We’ve seen the last couple of years how different things can look, even on opening night. Heck, we had this combo last year, and Matías Maccelli was on the top line with Auston Matthews.”
However, in this preseason game, we did see that offensive line featuring McKenna-Tavares-Nylander, and it could signal what we will see next season.
Maple Leafs Make Bold Statement vs. Senators With Dominant Play