Gavin McKenna is about to make his NHL debut, and head coach Jim Hiller has a real decision to make.
Where does an 18-year-old with this much hype actually play his first shift alongside Toronto's veterans?
The obvious answer is Auston Matthews. Leafs AGM Ryan Hardy has already floated the idea, pointing to how McKenna's playmaking could complement Matthews' finishing.
Matthews put up 53 points in just 60 games last season, still one of the league's most dangerous shooters when healthy.
But dropping an 18-year-old rookie directly onto a superstar's wing invites exactly the kind of scrutiny nobody in Toronto needs right now.
A more measured option sits one line down: John Tavares, who still managed 71 points in 82 games last season despite being 35 years old.
Tavares knows what it's like to enter the league as a first overall pick at 18 and captain two demanding Canadian markets.
Why the comparisons to Kane, Bedard and Hughes matter here
McKenna's range of outcomes is genuinely that wide. Patrick Kane scored 72 points as an 18-year-old rookie. Connor Bedard put up 61 in 68 games on a bad Chicago team.
Jack Hughes, by contrast, managed just 21 points in 61 games as a rookie, physically overwhelmed before he grew into his game.
McKenna could land almost anywhere on that spectrum, which is exactly what makes his linemate decision matter so much.
Unlike Kane or Bedard, McKenna won't need to be Toronto's best offensive player immediately. The Leafs already have that in Matthews.
That's the argument for sheltering him with Tavares against softer competition, rather than throwing him into Matthews' matchup-heavy minutes from night one.
McKenna's off-ice habits suggest he's already trying to close that gap, reportedly testing as one of the better-conditioned players in his draft class.
Hiller has seen both sides of this balancing act before, from Toronto's 2016-17 rookie class to a playoff-caliber Kings team developing Quinton Byfield.
Is protecting McKenna's development worth sacrificing his ceiling production this season? That's the actual question facing Hiller in September.
Whichever way this shakes out, Toronto now has a genuine wildcard on its roster, and where he lines up will say plenty about the plan behind him.
Should the Maple Leafs shelter Gavin McKenna with Tavares instead of pairing him with Matthews right away?
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