Gavin McKenna and Ben Danford are already putting themselves in NHL company before camp

Gavin McKenna and Ben Danford got some late-summer practice in during a trip to Muskoka while being joined by some pretty esteemed company.

With the NHL season quickly approaching and less than a month away, the Toronto Maple Leafs are gearing up for a season filled with expectations. Among those expectations are whether or not Gavin McKenna can step up and become that superstar player that the Maple Leafs need him to be - and the perfect partner for Auston Matthews.

So ahead of training camp and the preseason, it seems like McKenna as well as Ben Danford are looking to get in some extra reps - while also being joined by some elite names as well.

McKenna is preparing for the NHL now - Danford is trying to make Toronto rethink how far away he is

Both McKenna and Danford were spotted working out in Muskoka while also being joined by several NHL stars including John Tavares, Morgan Rielly, Scott Laughton and ironically - Mitch Marner.

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McKenna working with some of the same teammates he'll playing with this season is going to be crucial for him to gain early chemistry and acclimate quicker to the NHL level. Having Laughton - who is beloved by the entire locker room - is a great voice and mentor for McKenna meanwhile having Marner there at least shows there's no ill will between him and former teammates.

Danford meanwhile is getting reps alongside Morgan Rielly, a player he very well could end up beside at one point in his early career but he can also pick the brains of Laughton, Marner, and Tavares to grow as a future NHL regular and could translate this outing into a strong camp and AHL season.

Toronto's next core is already getting reps beside the players it may eventually replace

But it is a bit ironic that players like Rielly and Tavares are going to be supplanted by Danford and McKenna in the coming years. While Danford is a different player to Rielly, he's still their young prized blueline prospect who can become a two-way threat if given time to grow.

McKenna isn't a replacement for Tavares (frankly, no one can replace him) but he will gradually become a bigger focal point as Tavares takes a step back later on in his career. That means that while Tavares and McKenna may have lots of time together now, that may lessen the more and more McKenna becomes a first line superstar.

This Muskoka trip was as much about finding chemistry as it was R&R, and McKenna and Danford plugging themselves in the middle of NHL talents to learn from shows that they are on the right path to success.

While McKenna may be a lot closer to the NHL than Danford, that doesn't mean the latter is far away either - it's more a matter of when and not if.

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