How Gavin McKenna’s play without the puck is improving for Maple Leafs

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As it turns out, the most impressive play made by Gavin McKenna through his first six games with the Maple Leafs came mere feet from his own net.

McKenna’s hustle on the backcheck through the neutral zone on Saturday night allowed him to catch Colorado Avalanche defenceman Josh Manson deep in the Leafs end to create a turnover, sending Toronto back the other way.

In quick fashion, William Nylander set up Auston Matthews for Toronto’s fifth goal in the 6-3 win against the Avs in Denver.

McKenna’s offensive brilliance is what made him the first pick overall by the Leafs in the 2026 National Hockey League draft. His growing defensive awareness is what will endear him to the coaching staff and will lead to more minutes in tighter situations.

Furthermore, what McKenna has done through the first two games of the Leafs’ three-game trip is put to rest, for now, questions about his size and whether his 164-pound frame can absorb the rigours of playing in difficult road games. He didn’t get knocked around.

A final test on the trip will come on Tuesday when the Leafs visit the Utah Mammoth before heading home. There’s no reason to believe McKenna won’t pass it.

“Every game he is taking steps, we just played Vegas and Colorado, and when you’re a young guy at 18 years old, to play those two games back to back (and come out unscathed), it’s pretty impressive,” Leafs coach Jim Hiller told media after the win at Ball Arena.

McKenna has a three-game point streak after failing to record a point in his first three NHL games.

Concern last week in a few corners that McKenna skipped some optional practices had no merit. Whatever McKenna feels he needs to do to be ready to play — with guiding from the team’s sports science staff — is what matters most.

What is the status of Chris Tanev?

Official word from the Leafs regarding Tanev, the club’s best defenceman, is unlikely to come until Monday at practice, as Sunday was a full day off for the team.

Hiller didn’t have an update late on Saturday regarding the upper-body injury that forced Tanev out midway through the first period.

“You’re always concerned whether it’s him or anybody when we see a player not be able to finish the game,” Hiller said. “I’m always concerned about my players.”

If Tanev is out, the expectation is that there will be a recall from the Toronto Marlies.

Against the Hamilton Hammers for a road game on Sunday afternoon, defenceman Marshall Rifai, notably, was not in the Marlies lineup and was not listed with an injury.

“My time will come (in regard to being recalled),” Rifai told us last week. “I’m as close as I’ve ever been, and I just have to be where my feet are.”

Veteran D-men Philippe Myers and Dakota Mermis played against Hamilton while Ben Danford was scratched. He’s listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

The Leafs persevered against the Avs, but the defensive issues are proving hard to overcome.

Before NHL games on Sunday, the Leafs were tied for fourth in the NHL in most high-danger scoring chances allowed at five-on-five, with 63. Still, the Leafs’ best hopes for mitigating what the opposition does is when Tanev is healthy and on the ice.

And yes, while general manager John Chayka is in the hunt to add another defenceman, remember that the Leafs’ trade chips were diminished when Matthew Knies was dealt to Columbus for Kirill Marchenko.

Should Chayka have kept Knies and perhaps traded him for a top-notch defenceman at some point? It’s worth pondering.

Hiller and the coaching staff were keeping their fingers crossed that a pairing of veterans Morgan Rielly and Darren Raddysh would be viable, but already, it didn’t pan out.

In dressing seven defencemen against Colorado, Hiller had Raddysh with Jake McCabe and Rielly with Tanev.

For as long as Tanev is out — assuming he will miss games — there’s a clear runway, too, for Nick Blankenburg to make his presence felt.

After scoring his first goal for the Leafs on his first shift three minutes into the game, Blankenburg held his own and finished with 16 minutes 11 seconds of ice time.

Blankenburg was patient after earning a contract with the Leafs following an invitation to camp on a professional tryout.

“I’ve done this so many times before in my career,” Blankenburg said of meeting the challenge of being idle. “I just kept telling myself leading up to this, I have been in this situation before and every time I’ve been able to handle it and I’ve been able to grind through that adversity and keep believing in myself.

“When you have to fight and claw and earn everything you get, it’s just another game.”

Said Matthews: “Blanky is the man. One of those guys who comes to the rink every day, works hard, never complains and an absolute treat to be around and spend time with. He has a great personality and all the boys love him. Awesome to see him get going and it was big goal for us.”

tkoshan@postmedia.com

X: @koshtorontosun

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