Maple Leafs head coach in hot water after benching Gavin McKenna

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller benched Gavin McKenna for the second half of the Leafs matchup against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night, and frankly, many people across Leafs Nation are wondering what the hell happened.

McKenna played just over six minutes against the Sabres and didn't see a shift past the mid-way mark of the second period. Hiller tried to explain himself after the game, but it was obvious he seems to be already getting overwhelmed with his in-game lineup management. 

You know what? That was my decision. We went for a stretch. I think we had those penalties. I wanted to get him out there. He sat through the penalties, and then I didn’t get him out there. You know, through that stretch, and then in the last few minutes of the period, we’re just trying to, you know, get out of the period. I guess you would say. And then now, as I’ve sat him for so long, and he sits in the intermission, so I probably should have got him out there early in the third. I didn’t. So I’ll talk to him about that.

McKenna was coming into Thursday's game with a four-game point streak, posting five points. He started on the third line alongside Easton Cowan and Colton Sissons, and the Leafs were doing a great job offensively against the Sabres, before Hiller decided to change up his tactics. Forgetting to play one of the your best players, and an absolute gamebreaker doesn't make much sense for success.

“Again, the big thing is the penalties,” Hiller said. “He doesn’t get to play. We get into the thing now. He hasn’t played for 30-some-odd minutes. We talked about getting him on the third, and I guess just that’s on me.”

My thoughts: Hiller didn’t even mean to “bench” Mckenna. By his own admission, he wanted to get him back out there, but didn’t ? That’s reads to me as a coach, whose job it is to manage the bench, losing his way with a player in a game, and never recovering. He lost McKenna in the 2nd (which is fine. Penalties. It happens!) but he had an intermission to realize it. Said himself he was gonna course correct in the 3rd and never did. Howww!? I don’t think this was intentional - and honestly that might be worse !!!

— Jackie Redmond (@Jackie_Redmond) October 16, 2026

Now, Hiller has a target on his back from the fanbase. If McKenna isn't managed properly to start the season, and the Leafs aren't putting up points, the noise will become deafening in Toronto. Hiller needs to re-think his tactics given the makeup of the Maple Leafs linuep.  

Auston Matthews comments on Gavin McKenna getting benched during the second half of Thursday night's game. https://t.co/hhz2cnWOjP

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) October 16, 2026