'Only A Matter Of Time' Before Auston Matthews Teams Up With Gavin McKenna—Maple Leafs Analyst

All we have is one game under our belts—and a meaningless exhibition game, at that—and the talk is already heating up about when Toronto Maple Leafs rookie phenom Gavin McKenna will be teaming up with captain Auston Matthews. 

The No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft began his professional journey by skating alongside his de facto substitute father figure, John Tavares, and William Nylander. Not a bad spot to be in your first NHL experience, by any measure. 

But with the skill McKenna has already shown in his limited time on the ice with the team, at least one Leafs analyst is already projecting that the captain, Auston Matthews, will be demanding a union with the 18-year-old on his line sometime soon. 

"With his high-end skill, I think it's only a matter of time before Auston goes into the coach's office and says, 'I want this guy setting me up.'"@lukefoxjukebox joins @Mattymar89 and Sam Cosentino to share his first impressions of Gavin McKenna in the Leafs' preseason opener. pic.twitter.com/MvwShBrQSj

— Sportsnet 590 The FAN (@FAN590) September 21, 2026

"He put a couple of pucks on a platter for... John Tavares to create scoring opportunities that were phenomenal. He didn't look out of place, guys," Sportsnet's Luke Fox said about McKenna on The Fan Hockey Show on Monday. 

"With his high-end skill, I think it's only a matter of time before Auston goes into the coach's office and says, 'Hey, I want this guy setting me up.' Because he was creating."

Additionally, said Fox, with the Leafs having the goalie pulled late in the game, head coach Jim Hiller threw McKenna out on a 6-on-5 to try to get his team the equalizer. "That, to me, spoke volumes as far as the coach's trust he's already earning."

Will that translate into a top-line placement sooner than later? 

Again, the regular season hasn't even begun yet, but that's coming up in one week's time. All eyes will be on Toronto's top-six.