Leafs Hour: An Unforced Benching

Justin Bourne and Sam McKee begin the Friday Leafs Hour discussing Toronto's 5-4 OT loss to the Buffalo Sabres, early season criticisms of head coach Jim Hiller's player deployment, the decision to bench Gavin McKenna, Kirill Marchenko's breakout game as a Maple Leaf with a hattrick, and John Tavares' injury. Then, Sportsnet.ca's Luke Fox (31:32) joins the guys to weigh in on Hiller's lack of trust in the 2026 first overall pick, finding different defensive plays from his lineup, the long-term outlook on their d-core, and which goaltender starts against the New York Islanders on Saturday Night.

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