Gavin Mckenna: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

Gavin McKenna Lets Hiller Off the Hook, But Trust Issues Remain for Maple Leafs

Gavin McKenna isn’t concerned about the way things went Thursday night, despite the rookie only playing 6:26 in an overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres.

Features

The Morning Bark

The Quiz of the Day

Gavin McKenna responds to mid-game benching: ‘I’m willing to play whatever role this team wants’

Toronto Maple Leafs rookie Gavin McKenna is certainly looking to turn the page, following his mid-game benching during Thursday’s loss to the Buffalo Sabres.

Washington Capitals News / Yardbarker Quizzes

The 'Most goals in NHL history' quiz

How many of the 22 players in NHL history with at least 600 career goals can you name in five minutes?

The 'Conn Smythe Trophy winners' quiz

The '2026-27 NHL captains' quiz

The ''EA NHL,'' covers since 2000' quiz

Toronto Maple Leafs News / NHL Trade Talk / October 17

The Maple Leafs’ Worst-Case Scenario: A Deeply Cynical Look

If you’re feeling cynical about the Toronto Maple Leafs right now, Thursday’s loss to Buffalo gives you plenty of reasons. The worst-case scenario isn’t just that Toronto lost 5–4 in overtime.

NHL News / Yardbarker

The biggest draft bust for every NHL team

People love a good mid-round draft pick that pans out, and in the NHL you used to see those fairly often, but that’s obviously partially luck. If the Red Wings thought Nicklas Lidstrom was going to become a top-five defenseman in history, they wouldn’t have waited until the 53rd pick to take him.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / The Hockey Writers / October 17

Maple Leafs News & Rumours: Hiller’s Boring, McKenna’s Sits & Danford Call-Up?

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a few questions to answer after Thursday’s frustrating 5-4 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres. They let a two-goal third-period lead slip away, rookie Gavin McKenna spent much of the game watching from the bench, and the defence still looks like an area that needs attention.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / TheLeafsnation / October 17

Benching Gavin McKenna was a baffling decision by Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller

Eight games into the season, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller benched 18-year-old Gavin McKenna, and the reasoning behind it is certainly head scratching.

Gavin Mckenna News / Editor In Leaf / October 16

The Maple Leafs' choice to bench Gavin McKenna makes even less sense 24 hours later

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost to the Buffalo Sabres in overtime by a 5-4 final score on Thursday. With this loss, the Maple Leafs have extended their losing streak to two games.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / The Hockey Writers / October 16

Maple Leafs Have a Bigger Problem Than Hiller Benching Gavin McKenna

On the surface, it’s one game. A rookie sat for a stretch, and the Toronto Maple Leafs lost 5-4 in overtime to the Buffalo Sabers. It’s not ideal, but it doesn’t sound like the end of the world.

NHL News / Yardbarker

The defining figure for every NHL franchise

People will talk about the “Mount Rushmore” for a franchise, which is to say the four people, usually four players, that most define the franchise. Not always the four-best players, but the four that evoke the essence of the franchise.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / Daily Faceoff / October 16

Why did Maple Leafs rookie Gavin McKenna get benched?

Much has been made about the final result in The Six on Thursday night, and why one of the team’s young stars was stapled to the pine when the game was on the line.

Jim Hiller on Gavin McKenna benching: 'Probably should've got him out' in third period

The 'First-overall NHL Draft picks' quiz

Click here to get Yardbarker's Quiz of the Day emailed to you!

The 'Most WNBA double-doubles' quiz

The '2nd-most TD-passes by NFL team' quiz

The '35-TD, 10-INT NFL seasons' quiz

The '100-yard, 1-rushing TD games' quiz

Gavin Mckenna News / NHL Trade Talk / October 16

Gavin McKenna’s First Big NHL Lesson May Be More Than Hockey

Last night, Gavin McKenna spent almost the entire second half of Thursday’s game on the bench. The Maple Leafs’ rookie played just 6:36 as Toronto lost 5–4 in overtime to Buffalo.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / NHL Trade Talk / October 16

Jim Hiller Under Fire Over Gavin McKenna Blunder In Toronto

Gavin McKenna played a career-low 6:36 in Toronto’s 5-4 overtime loss to Buffalo, and the fallout has landed squarely on head coach Jim Hiller. While McKenna’s

Toronto Maple Leafs News / Trade Talk Sports / October 16

Jim Hiller Offers Strange Explanation for Benching Gavin McKenna

For an early regular-season game in mid-October, Thursday night’s Atlantic Division clash between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres was quite the eventful one.

NHL News / Inside The Rink / October 16

2026 NHL Draft: How Are the Top 10 Picks Performing So Far?

The 2026 NHL Draft took place in Buffalo this past June, with the Toronto Maple Leafs selecting Gavin McKenna first overall. Just a few weeks into the 2026-27 season, the first ten selections have already taken different paths in their development.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / Dose.ca / October 16

Top 5: Gavin McKenna, stuck on the bench for half the game

The CH didn’t play last night. But there was plenty of action in the NHL, with 22 teams playing games. Let’s see what happened: The Leafs hosted the Sabres last night in Toronto.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / TheLeafsnation / October 16

4 takeaways from Leafs-Sabres: Marchenko’s hat trick goes up in flames, McKenna’s inexplicable benching

There is a razor-thin margin of error in the Atlantic Division, and the Toronto Maple Leafs fell apart during a 5-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. Toronto held a 4-2 lead entering the third intermission, but Buffalo forced overtime with goals from Dennis Gilbert and Matias Samuelsson.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / Daily Faceoff / October 16

Jim Hiller on Gavin McKenna benching: 'Probably should've got him out' in third period

In a chaotic Thursday evening matchup between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres, one of the most intriguing storylines was what happened to Gavin McKenna.

The 'First-overall NHL Draft picks' quiz

Toronto Maple Leafs News / TheLeafsnation / October 15

Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller explains Gavin McKenna’s mid-game benching vs. Sabres

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller explained why he benched rookie Gavin McKenna midway through Thursday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres. McKenna did not take a shift after the 10:20 mark of the second period, as the Maple Leafs fell 5-4 to the Sabres.

Gavin Mckenna News / TheLeafsnation / October 15

Maple Leafs’ Gavin McKenna talks about growing confidence amidst four-game point streak

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Gavin McKenna is starting to feel more comfortable at the NHL level, as evidenced by his current four-game point streak. It started with his first career multi-point game on October 6 which included his first NHL goal set up by captain Auston Matthews.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / Professor Press Box / October 13

Maple Leafs’ McKenna Matches Feat Not Seen Since 1984

Remember a couple of weeks ago, when people were starting to worry about Gavin McKenna? A quiet debut, a few missed optional skates, and plenty of Toronto speculation.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / The Hockey Writers / October 10

Pundits Need to Drop the Criticism of Maple Leafs’ McKenna

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Gavin McKenna recently recorded both his first point and goal in a 5-4 overtime win against the Nashville Predators, four games into his NHL career.