Gavin McKenna at center of controversial moment that has fans furious

Gavin McKenna finished at a +3 in Toronto's 6-1 win over Ottawa, and nobody on the Maple Leafs did better than that.

William Nylander matched him exactly. Those two were the only skaters in that lineup to get there.

He added an assist across 16:47. A rookie drawing that kind of night in a blowout doesn't happen by accident.

Ottawa noticed as well, in its own way. Everyday Sens posted a clip and called it the McKenna school of embellishment.

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Nobody builds content about a prospect they aren't worried about. That's the compliment buried inside the jab.

No embellishment penalty shows up against anybody that night. He didn't take a minor of any kind.

He got 19:13 on Saturday with three shots on goal. Jim Hiller has been handing him real minutes all week.

Everyday Sens is already taking shots at the rookie

That's what happens when the name arrives in a market before the résumé does.

Toronto took that game 6-1 and the other half of the split squad 4-2 in Ottawa.

Auston Matthews, Jack Roslovic and John Tavares each put up three points in the same building.

Morgan Rielly scored and walked out at a +2 across 20:08 on the back end.

Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 13 of 14 for his first win in that sweater.

Matthew Knies went 17:48 with one shot and no points. Hiller called his camp okay and left it sitting there.

Nick Paul played 4:42 before Hiller told the room they'd know more today.

Toronto is 2-1-1 through the exhibition schedule after sweeping both halves on Wednesday.

Montreal visits on September 29 to open the season, and the lineup gets settled well before that.

The kid has a point, a plus-three and a rival fan base already writing about him.

Two of those three things are normal for a 30-goal veteran, not a player who hasn't debuted.

So what does the needling actually mean? Getting targeted by an opposing fan base before your first real game works like getting booed in a building you've never played in. Somebody already decided you count.

He hasn't played a game that matters yet. Ottawa is making material about him anyway, and the sheet says he's earning it.

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