Leafs Morning Take

Gerard Gallant on Gavin McKenna, Auston Matthews & the Maple Leafs

Leafs Morning Take

Show Notes

Nick Alberga & Jay Rosehill welcome Gerard Gallant to Leafs Morning Take to tee up Toronto's visit to Vegas. Gallant weighs in on Auston Matthews' dominant four-point performance against Nashville, calling the Leafs captain outstanding, before offering his thoughts on Gavin McKenna and the patience required for a young player to find his footing in Toronto.

Gallant draws comparisons between McKenna's situation and his experience coaching Alexis Lafreniere with the Rangers, emphasizing the importance of communication, confidence and allowing young players time to develop. He also discusses whether coaching McKenna in the Toronto market requires a different approach, his decision to stay alongside John Tavares, and whether McKenna can eventually become Toronto's long-term replacement for Mitch Marner. Gallant believes the comparisons are there, but points out that Marner remains one of the best players in the NHL.

Plus, Gallant discusses the coaching style of Marco Sturm, Sergei Bobrovsky, and what it was like coaching Nick Paul and Troy Stecher at the 2021 World Championship.

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