Ahead of the Maple Leafs’ season opener against the Montreal Canadiens, head coach Jim Hiller discussed the Kirill Marchenko trade, Gavin McKenna’s NHL debut, and his first game behind the Leafs’ bench as head coach.
Opening Statement on the Kirill Marchenko trade
Hiller: Okay, just quickly before I start—and you’ll ask me plenty of questions, I’m sure, about the trade—but first off, it was a short time for Emil Andrae with us. Steven Lorentz wore the blue and white and was a hometown boy who was very proud to do that. And Matthew Knies had a really important impact on the team, I thought, and I was really looking forward to coaching him. Anytime you get a player of Kirill’s pedigree, you’ve got to give lots up, and so we did. But here we are, and we move forward. We wish those three guys well.
Q&A Ahead of the Season Opener
What sort of impact do you see Kirill Marchenko making, and where do you anticipate him fitting in?
Hiller: We have lots of different ideas. It’s really difficult right now because we’re not sure if he’s even going to play. We’ll get to all that once we find out if he can play or when he does play. For now, I’m focused on him not playing and what we’ve had to date.
You’ve coached against him. What do you think are his best attributes?
Hiller: He’s got lots of them. Tremendous skater, and he skates very well with the puck. I think a lot of times a player can skate really well; they get the puck, and they slow down a little bit. He’s one of those guys who seems to accelerate with the puck. I know he loves having the puck, so I think that’s one of the strengths, originally, is how well he skates. He can distribute. He can shoot. He’s a shot threat, and he distributes. So there’s lots there for us. He’ll be a really, really strong addition.
Obviously, you don’t know if Kirill is playing or not. Presuming he’s not, who would be the left winger on that top line?
Hiller: I don’t want to get into any of that. It’s all just kind of speculation, and I just don’t want to do that right now.
What’s your sense of Gavin going into his debut, and what did you think of him staying off the ice this morning?
Hiller: I actually thought it was great. I really did, because that’s an optional skate. It’s optional if you think you need it to get ready to play tonight. When I heard he didn’t go out, it didn’t surprise me. He just has that way. He knows who he is. He knows what he has to do. I think how he’s adapted in a short amount of time just speaks to who he is and the confidence that he has in himself.
We’ve talked a bit through camp about all the new faces. Now you get another one. How do you envision this gelling, and how long is it going to take?
Hiller: I talked to a couple guys, and they really went out of their way early to go golfing, to have dinners, and they felt like they got a really good foundation that way. But what I’ve been told is that trip to Arizona was worth its weight in gold, as far as—really, the night that they had together with Auston at his house really cemented kind of an early foundation for them. I think we’re good that way. At this point, we’re just adding one—sorry, two—but the way those guys have come together already really helps. That trip was very important for that.
How about on the ice, especially when you’ve had such a shortened training camp?
Hiller: We’ll see, right? We liked how we played our last night, both in Ottawa and at home, so that was a step for us. But there’s no doubt it might take some time. Well, it will take some time. But I’m confident that at some point, hopefully sooner rather than later, we’ll be tight and we’ll play together.
What’s your experience been working under this management group, which clearly isn’t scared to take a swing?
Hiller: Isn’t that great? That’s great for you guys. You’ve got lots to keep you up at night, and you’ve got lots of stories to write.
No, it’s been excellent. The communication, the involvement for me personally—just to be kept up to speed on what might be happening. Any input, I’m always asked. It just couldn’t be any better.
In a league with limited offensive players from team to team, you have at least five high-end offensive players, maybe more. How do you plan to get the puck to them from a back end that hasn’t shown that first-pass-through-the-neutral-zone ability in the past?
Hiller: For me, that back end has gotten a bad rap, and I don’t think that’s going to be an issue at all. I’m not concerned about that.
What we do have with some of those players you’ve mentioned, too, is players who can transport the puck through the middle of the ice themselves. You might see, again, a guy like Marchenko or Auston, who you saw this early in the preseason carrying the puck through the neutral zone maybe a little more than he has.
We’ll put that on our forwards. If you get an opportunity to get some open ice and try to get that puck to them early, they can carry through. But again, I wasn’t here in the past. With what I see in this D corps right now, that’s just not a concern.
How special will it be tonight to be behind the bench as the Leafs’ head coach for the first time?
Hiller: It’s extremely special. I think having been here before, spent that time here, makes it even more special for me personally. Because, yeah, it’s Toronto, and I never knew I was coming back. My wife and I had talked about it—just what a great opportunity, wherever your career takes you, to have spent that time in Toronto. To come back and be the head coach… Yeah, I’m appreciating it.
