Gavin McKenna doesn’t need a long list of accomplishments to put himself in rare Maple Leafs company. One Calder Trophy would do it.
The buzz around the 18-year-old from Whitehorse has been relentless since he was taken first overall, and the reason is simple: if McKenna wins rookie of the year, he would move Toronto into sole possession of the NHL record for most Calder winners. The Leafs already have 10, which is the most in league history, but Connor Bedard’s 2023 Calder win tied the Chicago Blackhawks with that total.
A McKenna victory would make it 11 for Toronto.
That would also place him alongside some of the most recognizable names in franchise history. Auston Matthews was the most recent Leaf to win the award, doing it after a 69-point rookie season in which he scored 40 goals and added 29 assists. Before him came Syl Apps, Dave Keon and Frank Mahovlich.
Apps was the first Leaf ever to win the Calder, taking it for the 1936-37 season after posting 45 points, including 16 goals and 29 assists, in 48 games. Keon earned it in 1960-61 with 45 points as well, finishing with 20 goals and 25 assists in 70 games. Mahovlich won it in 1957-58 with 36 points, made up of 20 goals and 16 assists in 67 games.
Those numbers came in a very different era, but the standard for McKenna is clear enough: if he lands somewhere in the 60-to-70-point range, he could be tough to beat.
The path to the trophy is there, though it won’t be a solo run. Ivar Stenberg, the San Jose Sharks’ second overall pick this year, is one name that could make a charge.
Porter Martone, the Philadelphia Flyers’ 2025 sixth-overall pick, is another. Martone split last season after choosing to play at Michigan State, then finished with the Flyers and put up 10 points - four goals and six assists - in nine games.
That brief look was enough to put him in the conversation as a possible favorite.
So yes, McKenna can absolutely win it. He’ll just have to outplay a crowded field to do it. If he does, he won’t just open his career with a major individual honor - he’ll carve his name into Maple Leafs and NHL history right away.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs May Need One Cheap Camp Option More Than Expected
With salary-cap room tight and roster spots already crowded, the Maple Leafs may still have one more low-cost avenue to explore when training camp opens: professional try-outs. That kind of move is usually about insurance more than splash, but it can be useful for a team trying to shore up depth without creating more financial strain, especially after an offseason that has left Toronto still weighing how much flexibility it really has.
Carson Soucy, Eeli Tolvanen and James van Riemsdyk are among the names that could make sense in that lane, each bringing a different kind of appeal for a club looking for options rather than promises. Soucy would address the blue line, Tolvanen would offer another forward look, and van Riemsdyk brings the kind of veteran familiarity that can make a camp invitation at least worth a closer look. The Leafs do not need to force anything, but their current situation suggests they may need one cheap camp option more than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Face A New Cap Question If Gavin McKenna Breaks Out
Gavin McKenna arrives with the sort of contract that can look simple on paper and complicated in practice once a rookie starts living up to the hype. His base salary sits just above $1 million, but the deal can climb to $3.5 million a year in bonuses, split between Schedule A and Schedule B incentives tied to individual performance and league recognition.
For the Maple Leafs, the real issue is less about McKennas next shift than what happens if those bonuses start getting earned and carried forward on the cap. Toronto will have to manage that money carefully in the seasons ahead, especially with Auston Matthews contract year looming in 2027-28, and how much room the club has to absorb McKennas incentives could become a quiet but significant part of its planning. [Read more 🡒]
Erik Karlsson To Toronto Suddenly Feels Less Like Routine Trade Buzz
Erik Karlssons name has been floating around the Maple Leafs for a while, but the noise around him picked up after he was seen with Daniel Alfredsson, who is now part of Torontos coaching staff. With Karlsson entering the final year of his contract in Pittsburgh, the fit is easy enough to understand on paper. He would bring an elite puck-moving skill set to a team that is always looking to sharpen its blue line, and his connection to Alfredsson only adds another layer to the chatter.
Still, there is a reason this remains more intrigue than inevitability. Karlssons full no-move clause gives him control over where this goes, if it goes anywhere at all, and that matters a lot when a player of his stature starts appearing in the rumor cycle. For the Leafs, the question is not just whether the Penguins would listen, but whether Karlsson would ever see Toronto as the right landing spot. [Read more 🡒]