Gavin McKenna to Live with Maple Leafs Teammate John Tavares During Rookie NHL Season

Gavin McKenna will have a veteran housemate for his first season with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

John Tavares told reporters Tuesday the top pick of the 2026 NHL draft will be living in his house this season, per The Athletic's Mark Lazerus .

According to Lazerus, the arrangement took place after Tavares and his wife, Aryne, told Leafs general manager John Chayka they were interested in hosting McKenna.

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"You want him to go out and enjoy all the great things about being a Maple Leaf, and living his dream, playing in the NHL... and when it does feel heavy at times, or when it is a lot, going through it for the first time, he has that ability to just be in a family environment," Tavares said, per Lazerus.

This isn't the first time Tavares has hosted a Leafs rookie. Players including Fraser Minten and Matthew Knies have lived with the Tavares family since the forward signed with the Leafs in 2018.

Tavares most recently hosted Easton Cowan last season, per The Hockey News' Michael Traikos .

The Athletic's Joshua Kloke reported last October Cowan had credited Tavares with teaching him self-care routines that helped him make the Leafs roster.

McKenna was selected at the top of the 2026 draft after a record-breaking three WHL seasons followed by a point-per-game freshman campaign for Penn State.

He will now become the latest top draft pick to start out his NHL career by sharing a house with a more experienced teammate.

Macklin Celebrini lived with San Jose Sharks icon Joe Thornton after being selected at the top of the 2024 draft, a year before 2025 top pick Matthew Schaefer moved in with New York Islanders vet Matt Martin.

Tavares, the first pick of the 2009 draft, spent the first two years of his own NHL career living with former Islanders forward Doug Weight.

After five seasons captaining the Isles, Tavares served as captain for five more seasons in Toronto before he passed the C on to Auston Matthews ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.

Tavares will still be taking on a major leadership role in his eighth season with the Leafs. His ability to guide McKenna could be key in helping the rookie winger develop into a linemate for Matthews.