Tavares Knows What the Maple Leafs Have in McKenna

There is something pretty interesting about John Tavares opening his home to Gavin McKenna. Sure, it is about helping an 18-year-old kid make the jump to the NHL. It is about giving McKenna somewhere to come home to when the Toronto circus gets a little noisy. It is about mentorship, something Tavares clearly takes seriously.

But listen to the way Tavares talks about McKenna, and something else seems to be going on. Tavares doesn't sound like a veteran simply doing his duty for a young player. He sounds like someone genuinely fascinated by what he is seeing. That caught my attention.

Tavares Has Seen This Movie Before.

Tavares knows what it is like to arrive in the NHL with enormous expectations. He was the first-overall pick in 2009 and joined the New York Islanders organization as a teenager, with everyone wondering what he could become. Now he gets to watch McKenna do something remarkably similar.

One important difference, though. Tavares isn't simply watching from across the room. McKenna will live with him. That gives Tavares a front-row seat. And what he is seeing already seems to have impressed him.

Tavares called McKenna an “unbelievable kid” and talked about how impressed he has been with the way the rookie carries himself. He also said he enjoys how young players see the game and experience things for the first time. That last part might be the most revealing. Tavares isn't talking only about McKenna's skill. He is talking about his perspective.

Maybe McKenna Is Going to Help Tavares, Too.

This is what makes the whole thing more interesting. Tavares is 35. McKenna is 18. One is entering what should be the later part of his career. The other is just beginning his. Yet Tavares says he gets something out of being around young players.

That makes sense. Hockey players spend their careers learning how to deal with the game. Eventually, the danger is that the routine becomes just that — routine. Then an 18-year-old comes along who has spent his whole life dreaming about playing in the NHL. Suddenly everything is new again. Maybe that is part of what Tavares sees in McKenna.

McKenna Still Has Much to Prove on the Ice.

Of course, the youngster still has to prove it on the ice. Nobody knows how quickly he will adjust to the NHL, or how many points he will produce, or how he will handle the enormous attention that comes with being the first-overall pick in Toronto. But Tavares has already seen something worth watching.

He sees a young player who carries himself well, thinks about the game differently and still has the enthusiasm of somebody who can't quite believe the dream has come true. And maybe that's why Tavares is so willing to open his home.

He isn't just helping McKenna learn what it means to be an NHL player. He might be enjoying the reminder of what it felt like to become one.