Jim Hiller on moving Gavin McKenna onto Matthews’ line: “I hope he just feels comfortable playing with Auston… By now, he’s played enough with him and enough in the league that he just has to go play his game”
Ahead of Wednesday’s game in Seattle, head coach Jim Hiller discussed moving Gavin McKenna onto Auston Matthews’ line in the wake of Kirill Marchenko’s week-to-week injury, the growing role of the fourth line, Dakota Joshua and Chris Tanev’s status, and Nick Paul’s versatility.
What went into the decision to move Gavin McKenna up and shift Easton to another line?
Hiller: That’s something we’ve talked about a lot at different times. You guys don’t always see it, but we’re always talking about different things in the lineup. That line had played so well with Easton, but with Marchy out, give Gavin a chance there and move Easton with Willy and Pauly.
What do you hope McKenna learned from moving into that spot during games that he can take with him?
Hiller: I hope he just feels comfortable playing with Auston. Sometimes, the first few times, it’s, “Hey, you’re playing with Auston. What do I have to do? I’ve got to get him the puck.” Probably by now, he’s played enough with him and enough in the league that he just has to go out and play his game.
It’s been almost a month since Gavin’s first game. How different is he now compared to opening night?
Hiller: I think he’s a lot different. There are two things there. There’s where Gavin’s gone and where the league goes in a month. The league gets ramped up really quickly, so he has to get ramped up really quickly, too. Both things have happened.
If you talk to him, he has a healthy respect for the league. He’s understanding some of the things he can get away with offensively, and some things he can’t. Then there’s the play without the puck, which is always the biggest challenge for every player, and how important the details of the game without the puck are.
With two top-six forwards out and no last change on the road, how concerned are you about the forwards defensively?
Hiller: I would say this: We’ve gotten such great minutes from what we want to call our fourth line, from Teddy Blueger’s line. We’ve seen over the last 10 days that line getting more minutes. I’ve had them out there against the other team’s top lines. Despite everybody having to step up in this absence, you’re going to see that line, as long as they continue to play like this, take on a bigger and bigger role. A role maybe we didn’t expect two weeks ago.
Will Dakota Joshua play tonight?
Hiller: We’re still waiting for his gear. The airlines haven’t delivered his gear yet, so we’re still waiting on that.
Otherwise, could he play a game for you without any concerns?
Hiller: Yeah. He’s had his stint. He’s in great shape. He’s ready to roll.
What about Chris Tanev?
Hiller: We’re getting closer. No red sweater. You guys know the steps. You’ve been around it long enough now. On the ice, red sweater, no red sweater with the team. That means he’s getting close.
Is there any chance Joshua plays in Vancouver?
Hiller: I think there’s always a chance, but we’ll still have to wait and see.
How valuable has Nick Paul been through the injuries to the top six?
Hiller: He started, I think, on the left wing, him and Sissons playing left wing and right wing. Now he’s been in the center for a long time, so he’s really versatile.
He’s on the power play today. Now you’ve got a penalty killer, you’ve got a top-six centerman, you’ve got a power-play guy, and just an awesome guy for the spirit of the team.
He’s really been a great addition. We’ve had a number of them, but he touches a lot of different areas of the game and has been good for us.
You know Lane Lambert a little bit. What’s the biggest challenge the Kraken present?
Hiller: They’ll play hard without the puck. Much like Calgary played, I expect a similar game from Seattle. They play hard, have enough talent that they can beat you, but they’re going to check you and make it hard for you. We have to play a different style than we played in Calgary.
We turned the puck over in the neutral zone again. We thought we had to clean some of that stuff up, and we were frustrated because of it. We’ll have to make sure we get the puck deep tonight and play in their zone.
Are you going with Sergei Bobrovsky tonight?
Hiller: Yeah.
Toronto vs. Seattle - October 28
Maple Leafs Projected Lines
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After an off night in Calgary, and now without Kirill Marchenko, can the Maple Leafs overcome their latest injury-related adversity against the 7-4-1 Seattle...
