Nylander is 200lbs, he’s not that small. Not defensive, agreed, but not tiny, that’s Marner who is only 180 but is defensive lol
As for what I said I was only saying that you just want to sell out this #1 pick as a career passer. That’s it, all I meant, so fuck off.
And Nylander plays like he’s 150 lbs. So again, if McKenna is stapled to the 3rd line because of defensive issues, the same would apply to Nylander who has been in the league 10 years and still can’t play defense yet gets top line minutes and PP time.
McKenna is another Nylander. That’s just what is and what he will be if he’s as good as he’s been touted. Apparently he’s very accountable for his deficiencies and is aware of them. But at the end of the day, what the player does on the ice is what counts and what matters and despite being told to be more engaged and be more aware defensively, he still has issues doing it.
The goal should be to pair up McKenna with Matthews because their style of play compliment each other well. Matthews needs passes and McKenna’s biggest strength is his offensive vision and his passing. That’s what he was drafted for. And if your desire is for McKenna to “learn defense” well the best guy on the team to do that will be Matthews. McKenna will likely run out of gas after about 40-50 games, most rookies do, which is when Knies can take his spot on the top line. He generally also starts off very shit so don’t expect much for the first 15-20 games either.
What I “wanted” was Stenberg. Now that they have McKenna, they have to put him in situations that make him the most useful. The Leafs would be wise to only play their top line 18 min a game. And yes, that includes Matthews as he gets hurt every year playing 21 minutes a game. Reduce their wear and tear, play them in the O-Zone and on the PP. Let the bottom-six, which the Leafs spent A LOT of money on, in defensive and PK situations. Between more shutdown players and Bob, reducing the goals against is the biggest priority. I still think the Leafs D is shit and old but at least using players in the correct situations will give them a fighting chance to stay in a wild card fight.