T
oronto Maple Leafs veteran John Tavares has sent a strong message to rookie Gavin McKenna before his first NHL season.
In a conversation with Daily Faceoff managing editor Matt Larkin this week, Tavares, 35, took the opportunity to give advice to McKenna, 18. In a few words, the former captain considers that the prospect should just be who he is.
He said, “I think you just want him to be himself. There’s a reason why he is who he is and the position he’s in. So he doesn’t have to come in and look to change or do a number of different things. I think just come in and try to soak it in.”
“You’re a rookie once in the NHL and have this amazing opportunity to just enjoy it, be driven, compete your ass off, and have fun with it. You’re going to have a tremendous number of resources, influences, mentors, people within the organization, on the team, that are going to do everything they can to help you along the way.”
Tavares made clear that there will be better moments than others, but reminded McKenna that it is normal and part of the process.
“And there’s going to be ups and downs, but that’s part of the journey, part of the learning. And you get to live your dream. You’ve been thinking about this for as long as you can remember. You’ve really got to enjoy it and have fun with it. So I’m excited to be there along with him as a teammate and just remember what it was like for myself,” he concluded.
Tavares Embodies What Maple Leafs Fans Want From Players
Tavares is perhaps one of the clearest examples of what Leafs fans want from all of their players. He is a committed professional with a strong sense of belonging to the organization, and he has set aside excessive financial ambition because he understands there is little difference between making a lot of money and making even more.
On top of that, his recent decision to offer Gavin McKenna a place to stay this season continues a franchise tradition of passing that level of professionalism down to young prospects. It is a superb move from Tavares, honestly.
Heading into the upcoming campaign, the Leafs have received an exciting assessment from Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill on the latest edition of Leaf Morning Take on Sept. 10.
In very simple terms, neither co-host had anything bad to say about Tavares, and both expect him to have a season that lives up to expectations.
“Over/under 60 points. What are you taking?” Alberga asked.
Rosehill said, “What was he last year? 72? Around there, yeah. Yeah, and he’s never had 90 points in his career, so he’s not, like, popping off, like, crazy. I think he’s over 60 points, man.”
“I think the team, I think they’re gonna be lethal this year. I think they’re gonna be able to overwhelm teams, and they’re more well-rounded. You don’t have to ride your top horses as much as you have in the past. I think he does it. As I said, he’s durable, and he hasn’t missed much time.”
“I think there’s opportunity for him to get to that 60-point limit, as he did again last year and exceeded it. I’m taking the over, not to mention two more games. Can’t forget that. They go from 82 to 84, and I think even JT would probably take 60 points, but I think he gets more than that.”
Maple Leafs’ John Tavares Sends Strong Message to Gavin McKenna Before NHL Season