The rumor is now confirmed for Gavin McKenna and John Tavares

John Tavares is opening his door to Gavin McKenna, and the Toronto Maple Leafs now have three former first-overall picks on one roster.

Tavares confirmed this week that McKenna, the 18-year-old No. 1 pick, will live with him throughout the 2026-27 season.

It is not a new role for him. Tavares billeted Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten in past years, paying forward what Doug Weight once did for him as a rookie Islander in 2009-10.

Jim Hiller takes over as Toronto's head coach this season, hired back in June, and how he deploys his rookie could shape more than just one lineup spot.

Because if Hiller puts McKenna next to Tavares, and maybe on the same power play unit, the ripple effect goes well beyond one teenager's development.

Tavares put up 31 goals and 40 assists for 71 points across 82 games last season, chipping in 12 power play goals along the way.

He is 35 now, still productive, and a kid with McKenna's puck skills on his wing could be the push that gets him back over 40 goals for the first time since 2018-19.

Why McKenna's small-town roots could actually help him in Toronto

That is the quiet part of this story. Living under the brightest media lights in hockey can break young players who are not ready for it.

McKenna grew up in a Yukon town of under 40,000 people. Tavares believes that background, oddly enough, works in his favor once things get loud.

A family environment to come home to after a rough night, rather than an empty condo and a phone full of notifications. Small comfort, maybe, but it matters.

Toronto has tried the mentorship model before, and it has produced NHL regulars in Cowan and Minten. McKenna is a different level of prospect, though. First overall picks do not always land in situations this stacked.

Auston Matthews, Tavares, and now McKenna, all No. 1 selections wearing the same jersey. Sixteen teams in the league have one former first pick on the active roster. Only four have two. Toronto is building something different entirely.

Whether that translates to wins is a separate question, and one Hiller will have to answer once the games start counting.