Toronto Maple Leafs rookie Gavin McKenna is ready to move past his benching earlier this week.
"Obviously, you want to play, but we had a good talk," the No. 1 overall pick said Saturday, per Sportsnet's Luke Fox. "We have a good relationship together, me and (head coach) Jim (Hiller). He said it had nothing to do with my play, which is nice to know. You know, doesn't really take away from your confidence at all. So I appreciated him reaching out, and, I mean, I trust him. I trust the team, trust what they want to do. So, I'm willing to play whatever role this team wants."
McKenna didn't take a shift in the second half of Thursday's loss to the Buffalo Sabres. Hiller said postgame that McKenna got lost in the shuffle as the Maple Leafs ran into penalty trouble and lamented the fact the forward sat for so long.
“At the end of the second, you think maybe you'd get a shift, but it didn't come," McKenna said. "And then you sit for a while and then get a little bit cold, and then obviously you're hoping for a shift. But when it doesn't come, I think you start to realize that you're going to be watching a little bit. So, for me, honestly, sitting there watching, I tried to learn as much as I could."
McKenna logged 6:36 of ice time and was a minus-1 against the Sabres. Toronto blew a two-goal lead in the third period and eventually lost in overtime.
The 18-year-old acknowledged he's received plenty of support from his teammates since the defeat.
"They're all behind me, and I'm behind all of them," McKenna said. "So, they've had good talks with me, made me feel comfortable, and just told me to stay confident."
McKenna played a career-high 17:08 and scored a goal during the club's previous game against the Utah Mammoth. He's collected five points through his first eight NHL games, but he's a minus-3.
McKenna is projected to line up on Toronto's third line with Colton Sissons and Bo Groulx on Saturday against the New York Islanders.
