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SIMMONS SAYS: Gavin McKenna will emerge as a star in his own good time

I think of Guy Lafleur every time I hear a conversation about Gavin McKenna’s first NHL season.

Published Oct 04, 2026  •  Last updated 27 minutes ago  •  7 minute read

Gavin McKenna of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Photo by Chris Tanouye /Getty Images

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Guy Lafleur was the first pick in the 1971 NHL draft. He is one of the greatest players of all-time, arguably the best in Montreal Canadiens history.

Putting Gordie Howe in a category all his own, Lafleur might be a top-three winger to ever play. Perhaps even top-two behind Howe.

I think of the late Lafleur every time I hear a conversation about Gavin McKenna’s first season with the Maple Leafs. McKenna was the first pick in the NHL draft in June and no, I’m not comparing him in any way to Lafleur.

Just comparing circumstances and possibly conversation. There is so much talk about who McKenna is and what he will eventually become with the Leafs. You hear it every day on almost every radio station that talks about this kind of thing.

What kind of season is McKenna going to have? How many points will he score? Whose line will he play on? Whose line should he play on? Is he a first or second power play guy?

So much to ask, so much to know: His career will be three games old by Sunday morning.

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The great Lafleur, some might remember, needed three years to find himself as an NHL megastar. Times were different. He was 20 years old as a rookie. He was 23 when he leapt from 56 to 119 points in his fourth season and never stopped from there.

McKenna is 18, tiny at 165 pounds. At that age, Lafleur was scoring 170 points for the Quebec Remparts.

One day, McKenna might be a difference-maker that changes teams in the kind of way Lafleur changed Les Canadiens. We don’t know that. We do know that talent emerges at its own pace in its own way. In the case of Lafleur — and really so many others — the wait was worth it. The number of points he scored as a rookie now seems lost in time.

With all the questions that forever surround the Maple Leafs — How is the coach? What’s the GM doing? How many goals will Auston Matthews score? How much does Sergei Bobrovsky have left? — one that was rarely asked about before the season was where do you put Easton Cowan? Through two games, he has been the team’s most creative forward. If this is real, it’s a big bonus for the Leafs. It means that with Matthews, William Nylander, John Tavares, the new guy Kirill Marchenko, the eventually emerging McKenna and Cowan, the Leafs might have six legitimate forwards who can contribute offence. Few teams in the NHL can say that with any authority … That is, of course, assuming that the centres, Matthews and Tavares, play better than they began the season playing … Weird, this NHL schedule. The Leafs played Ottawa on Saturday night. It was Toronto’s third game, Ottawa’s first … Darren Raddysh should watch tape of Evan Bouchard in the offensive zone. Every time Bouchard has a chance to shoot, he does. And it’s not always a slap shot. Just get a puck to the net. Bouchard is off to a wild eight-point start in two games with the rather wild Edmonton Oilers … What I like best about the Marchenko for Matthew Knies deal: It’s a real hockey trade. We don’t get enough of those any more. It’s a top-end player for a top-end player. It’s a philosophical deal: The Leafs get the natural talent in Marchenko. Columbus gets a prototype power forward in Knies. Both teams add the piece they want and believe they need. Winner to be determined years from now … This is how far Hockey Canada has plummeted on the world stage. Everybody and his grandmother from just about everywhere got elected to a position of power in the recent International Ice Hockey Federation promotions. Everybody but Hockey Canada boss Katherine Henderson, the former head of Curling Canada. Guess the IIHF didn’t need anyone to talk cornbrooms … Hockey Canada needs new leadership. In this past year alone, Canada lost the world junior tournament, followed by the men’s and women’s Olympic gold medals, followed by the world championship. That isn’t what we do. Possible choices to head up Hockey Canada include Brendan Shanahan and Sean Burke. Both have executive backgrounds. Both have deep hockey backgrounds and Team Canada history. Both are needed at this rather embarrassing time … It doesn’t feel right, no Hockey Night in Canada on CBC on Saturday night. And it won’t feel right, with PWHL games going head-to-head with the NHL on TV come December.

It must drive Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins nuts to watch the quality of playoff teams — from the Red Sox to the Astros to the White Sox — and wonder how it is that their Blue Jays missed out. These are not sound ball clubs. As bad as the Jays offence was — and it was the worst in baseball — I still think they would have beaten Boston, Houston or Chicago in a playoff round … The Jays were last in the American League in home runs. That’s a problem. It’s really a problem at playoff time. All you have to do is watch one night of post-season ball to understand how home runs rule at this time of year. All three games in the Atlanta-Philadelphia wild-card series were won by homers. The only team to not hit a playoff homer, the Chicago Cubs, was swept by the San Diego Padres … My bet, after being part of the George Springer scrum at the end of season, is that he will retire. Almost everything he said seemed to lean that way … The same is not as evident with Max Scherzer, who is four strikeouts away from passing Justin Verlander on the career list and 17 from catching Don Sutton for seventh overall. Can’t see the Jays being interested in Scherzer, but I can see him winding up somewhere, at least until he passes Sutton with 3,575 strikeouts … Is the signing of Anthony Santander the worst free-agent deal in Jays history? B.J. Ryan used to hold that belt, but at least he had two decent save seasons before it all blew up for him … The Jays’ greatest needs: A slugging left fielder, a slugging right fielder and a designated hitter. It’s possible Addison Barger can be the right fielder, it’s just not certain. But if there’s a salary cap for next season, the Jays will have to do some financial tap dancing to get their roster in place for the coming season, whenever that will be.

One year ago Sunday: Blue Jays 10, Yankees 1. Game 1 of the American League Divisional Series.Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 3-for-4 with a first-inning home run and an RBI on a sacrifice fly. Seems like a lifetime ago … How times have changed? Guerrero has 13 years left on his $500-million contract. Once upon a time, Pat Gillick let Jimmy Key walk because he refused to give the pitcher a third year on his contract … The Washington Capitals may have the deepest set of wingers in hockey but I do wonder about their centres: Can a team with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Dylan Strome as their top-line centres really contend for the Stanley Cup? … It’s going to be a long season for Peter DeBoer. He’s an excellent coach, but that’s not an excellent roster he’s got with the New York Islanders. He’s got Matthew Schaefer on defence and a goalie. And that’s about it … The Jays have determined that one-time hot prospect Ricky Tiedemann will not be a starting pitcher in the future. They believe his arm is too tender to start. If he makes the majors, it will be in relief … I had to do a double-take when hearing Landon Ferraro call the Winnipeg Jets game on Friday night. I thought I was hearing his dad, Ray Ferraro. The voices are that similar … There’s a lot of bad goaltending going around the NHL in this early season. One tip from a former house-league goalie: Keep your stick on the ice, kids … I could care less if neither Dylan Larkin nor Connor Hellebuyck play a game this season.

Edward Rogers has proven to be a great owner for the Blue Jays and for club president Shapiro. He doesn’t interfere much with baseball operations and provides more than enough money to get the job done. You ask for money, he gives it to you. What we don’t know yet: Will he be the same kind of owner for the Maple Leafs and the Raptors? … So happy to see Jack Armstrong back for more seasons of Raptors basketball. In a year in which we said goodbye to legends Joe Bowen and Buck Martinez, I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Jack, as well. These are our staples. Don’t mess with mine … If I were organizing Kawhi Leonard’s load management throughout the season, I would make sure he plays as many games at home as possible. Could he get in 40 of his 60 games at home? Is that doable? … Jim Popp has won five Grey Cups in three CFL cities. Why isn’t he in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame? … Ben Major may not be the best official in the CFL but he is certainly the most entertaining …Happy birthday to Jean Ratelle (86), Vic Hadfield (86), Dave Winfield (75), Dennis Eckersley (72), Mike Johnson (52), Mark Giordano (43), Michael Nylander (54), Todd McLellan (59), Junior Felix (59), Tony LaRussa (82), Justin Williams (45), C.J. Stroud (25) and Anton Lundell (25) … And hey, whatever became of Ben Revere?

Simmons is Canada’s longest-serving sports columnist

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