Trial and error will likely be the name of the game when it comes to building the Toronto Maple Leafs’ lines. There are some proven things that work on the lineup card. John Tavares works well with William Nylander. Matthew Knies and Auston Matthews will be a thing. Dakota Joshua and Teddy Blueger had career years playing together. Pepper in a few right-handed shots as needed, and a lineup begins to take shape.

Gavin McKenna will be one of the most interesting pieces of the puzzle. It’s a safe bet to say he’ll make the Maple Leafs and skip the Marlies. It should also be safe to say that McKenna won’t be an offensive juggernaut in his rookie season. In the past decade, only Mathew Barzal eclipsed the 70-point mark (85 points) in his rookie season, and he did that after two full seasons in junior following his draft year. No NCAA or junior player has jumped to the NHL and put up 70+ points since Patrick Kane in 2007-08.

A Calder candidate season out of McKenna is around 60 points, and if putting McKenna with Matthews can yield that result, that would represent an upgrade over the Domi/Maccelli/Robertson/Cowan rotation of wingers that Matthews worked with last season. Giving Matthews a playmaker who will become more comfortable carrying the puck is advantageous and can set both players up for success. The “no-brainer” idea of putting McKenna with Matthews makes sense.

There are catches. Matthews worked best with a setup man on the right side. Marner and even Nylander have worked best for him, as taking a forehand pass from a right shot to Matthews’ forehand left shot works best. That’s not to say that left-to-left couldn’t work, and the Maple Leafs haven’t tried a left-side playmaker with Matthews. The Maple Leafs can also mitigate the risk a little by putting Jack Roslovic on the right wing on the line and giving a right-shot outlet for Matthews as well, but that comes at the cost of what a healthy Matthew Knies brings to the line. It might be a stretch to assume that Knies will be a Leaf when training camp opens, so the McKenna-Matthews-Roslovic line might be the best option by default.

In contrast, the best thing might be to not break in a rookie on the top line. And in that situation, putting McKenna with Tavares also makes sense. Whether it is Roslovic or Nylander on the other wing, it gives McKenna a lefty/righty playmaker/sniper option, with Tavares serving as the deflection/rebound option in front of the net. Elevating the second line also benefits the Maple Leafs and either results in one highly skilled line not facing the top defensive pairing.

The rub with putting McKenna with Tavares is that there will be defensive shortcomings to deal with, and regardless of whether it is Nylander or Roslovic on the right wing, help isn’t there for defensive zone time. The Leafs could explore options like Nick Paul, Easton Cowan, or Matthew Knies on a line with McKenna and Tavares to mitigate the defensive risk.

The third option is for McKenna to start out on the third line and for the Leafs to create a safe environment for him.

That option would require at least some offensively capable players. Jack Roslovic as a potential 3C, or Nick Paul, and perhaps putting Easton Cowan with the group as well. I’m not sure if the Maple Leafs would want to spread Nylander, Tavares, Knies, and Matthews across the top three lines, but if the Leafs are wanting to go with pairings, putting McKenna with Nylander and anchoring them with Nick Paul gives Toronto a balance of offence with a defensively responsible centre to not crater the line.

While it seems unlikely the Leafs go this route, the free agent additions to the Leafs lineup support the idea of a balanced attack from the forward group. And as every hockey game in history has shown, as the game progresses, utilization changes, benches shorten, and line combinations fight the needs of the moment. McKenna will also be a high usage player in goal-scoring situations and could very well be stapled to the bench when protecting a one-goal lead late in the game.

The idea of a McKenna-Paul-Nylander line intrigues me, but the Leafs seem to be built for an offensive top six and defensive/checking bottom six.

When it comes to who is the better centre for McKenna to play with, the answer clearly seems to point to Auston Matthews. It will come down to whether McKenna is the right fit for Matthews.