‘Pretty fired up’: McKenna back in the spotlight for Maple Leafs after benching

TORONTO — Gavin McKenna found himself stapled to the bench last Thursday.

The No. 1 overall pick at the 2026 NHL draft returned to the fray over the weekend — and was right back in the spotlight four nights later.

McKenna scored the winner on a third-period power play in Toronto’s 3-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks that halted the Maple Leafs’ three-game slide Monday.

The 18-year-old winger grabbed a loose puck after Auston Matthews won a battle down low and fired low glove side on Yaroslav Askarov for his third goal as a professional.

“Pretty fired up,” said McKenna, who dropped to one knee in celebration following his goal that snapped a 1-1 tie. “It’s a hard league to score in … when you get to put one in the back of the net, it feels pretty good.”

The Whitehorse product had his toughest night in the league Thursday when he didn’t play after the midway point of the second period, finishing with just six minutes 36 seconds of ice time.

He then skated a career-high 17:56 in Saturday’s 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders before making the most of his 11:30 against San Jose.

“This whole entire process is not looking backwards or forwards … it’s just trying to be where your feet are,” McKenna said when asked what the last stretch has been like in hockey’s biggest media market. “When you have a game like that against Buffalo, you want to bounce back.”

Matthews said his young teammate — now with six points in 10 NHL games — doesn’t shy away from the limelight for the Maple Leafs (4-4-2).

“You give him a little bit of time and space, like he had there, he’s going to make something happen,” said Toronto’s captain, who had a goal and two assists after gifting the Sharks their opener off a turnover in the defensive zone. “He’s been flying these last couple games, and even what happened (against Buffalo), that stuff doesn’t shake him.

“He just keeps churning away.”

Toronto head coach Jim Hiller and McKenna had a “good talk” in the aftermath of the game against the Sabres where the Maple Leafs fell 5-4 in overtime.

“He’s just the same guy, and that’s what I just love about him,” said the club’s first-year bench boss. “He’s worn this high-prospect and this high-skill (pressure) for years, and he’s just really comfortable with it.”

Monday also marked the first meeting between McKenna and Sharks winger Ivar Stenberg — the No. 2 pick back in June — in the NHL.

The player whose name was called first made the difference on this night.

“He’s just not afraid of the moment … he enjoys the moment,” Hiller added. “You saw his celebration, and you could say, ‘Ya well, shouldn’t everybody do that?’ You have to want to be that big-time player.

“That’s what he has in spades.”

McKenna, meanwhile, feels like he’s simply built for situations like Monday.

“It’s just a confidence thing,” he said. “You want to be a guy who’s known for those big moments, and when you get that time and opportunity to be out there on the ice, you want to make the most out of it.

“That’s something I’ve taken a lot of passion in … trying to be known as a guy who’s able to perform in those situations.”

BOB STANDS TALL

Maple Leafs goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky picked up his first home victory since signing in free agency on July 1.

The 38-year-old finished with 30 stops, including a massive save on Collin Graf with six minutes left in regulation and Toronto up 2-1.

“He’s been so good,” Matthews said. “Impressive to watch him do his thing.”

HOMECOMING

Kirill Marchenko will face Columbus for the first time since the blockbuster trade that brought him to Toronto right before the season when the Maple Leafs visit the Blue Jackets on Tuesday.

“I don’t know what my feelings will be,” said the winger. “It will be a special night.”

SNUFFED OUT

Toronto’s top-ranked penalty kill improved to 31 for 32 after denying all four San Jose opportunities.

“Power play and penalty kill are similar,” said Hiller, whose team has killed off 21 straight short-handed situations. “Once you start feeling good, it makes it a little bit easier, and we’re feeling it right now. I thought (Monday) was probably our best job on the penalty kill. There’s been some other nights where we’ve been good, gave some chances up, some good saves.

“I thought we executed extremely well.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2026.

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press