Corey Pronman’s latest ranking has created an awkward little snapshot for the Maple Leafs: the player Toronto took at No. 1 in June, Gavin McKenna, comes in at No. 18 on The Athletic’s Top 23 Players Under 23 list, while several names the Leafs passed on are sitting ahead of him.
That list, which is topped by Macklin Celebrini after a 115-point campaign, includes a few players that make Toronto’s decision look a little stranger at first glance. McKenna is behind Chase Reid, Alberts Smits, Cole Hutson and Keaton Verhoeff, even though he was the consensus No. 1 overall pick and carries the kind of upside those defenders simply don’t match in the same way.
At the same time, McKenna does land above Ivar Stenberg at No. 19, Viggo Bjorck at No. 21 and Caleb Malhotra at No.
- And while the ranking includes players from different draft classes, seeing McKenna trail Reid and Verhoeff still stands out.
Toronto’s logic was about ceiling. Reid and Verhoeff would have added to a blue line pipeline that will eventually need new pieces behind several veterans, but McKenna gives the organization something harder to find: a possible first-line offensive centerpiece.
There’s also a positional wrinkle here. The Athletic may have leaned toward Reid and Verhoeff because defensemen tend to carry extra value, especially with their two-way impact and importance on the back end. Still, McKenna’s talent level points to a player who could become one of the top stars in the sport, and if he helps turn Toronto into a winner, that would dwarf any rookie ranking.
The other reason this could age quickly is that McKenna’s NHL ceiling hasn’t really been tested yet. The Athletic pointed to his defensive game as a weakness and noted that he can be pushed off the puck. Toronto, though, can help cover for that with players like Matthews and Matthew Knies around him.
He also enters the league with less of a track record than some of the names above him. Celebrini, Connor Bedard, Juraj Slafkovsky and Leo Carlsson all already have one or more NHL seasons on their résumé, which means teams have a much clearer read on what they are at the next level.
McKenna put up 51 points in 35 games in the NCAA, but even that came with first-half struggles before he settled in. Making the jump from junior to college hockey is one thing; doing it again from college to Toronto is the real challenge.
The Athletic may be discounting him a bit because he won’t be the focal point of the offense and because other players on the list fill more vital positions while bringing a more established skill set. But McKenna does not need to justify Toronto’s decision right away.
If his offense translates quickly and he’s getting meaningful minutes in the Maple Leafs’ top six, No. 18 could end up looking very conservative the next time this ranking comes around.
In Other News...
One Panthers Veteran Is Suddenly Tied To Torontos Biggest Questions
Missing the postseason after a trip to the second round the year before has pushed Toronto into a reset, with new management, a new head coach and the first overall draft pick in Gavin McKenna all marking a very different-looking offseason. The changes have also put a sharper focus on the players who still have to drive this team forward, especially on the back end and in goal, where Toronto knows it needs cleaner results if it is going to get back on track.
Morgan Rielly remains one of the most watched names in that conversation, with his defensive game and decision-making drawing plenty of scrutiny as the organization sorts through its next steps. Sergei Bobrovsky is another intriguing piece in the discussion, coming off a rough regular season by his standards even as his playoff work still carried weight, and Toronto is hoping coaching changes and a better setup can help him rebound and settle into a more workable role. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Have A New Prospect With A High Stakes Camp Battle
Tinus Luc Koblar is already giving the Maple Leafs a different kind of prospect storyline, one with a little more urgency attached to it. The 19-year-old signed to play for Rgle in Sweden this season, but he also has an entry-level contract with Toronto and has already spent time at the clubs post-draft development camp, putting him on the radar as more than just a long-term project.
Koblar is expected to come to Toronto for the rookie tournament and then main training camp after one more preseason game in Sweden, setting up a real audition for a roster spot. The stakes are straightforward enough, even if the path is not: he has said he wants to make the NHL team, and the Leafs will get a close look at whether his game is ready for that jump. [Read more 🡒]
Morgan Rielly Wants To Stay But His Leafs Role Is Changing
Trade chatter around Morgan Rielly had started to swirl again, but the veteran defenseman used Hockey Night in Brampton to make his stance clear: he wants to remain with the Maple Leafs. For a player who has spent his career in Toronto, the noise matters less than the direction of the team, and this latest stretch has put his place in the picture back under the spotlight as the Leafs continue to reshape the blue line around him.
What makes the conversation more interesting is that Riellys future in Toronto may not be defined by whether he stays, but by how he is used. With new faces such as Raddysh and Gavin McKenna entering the mix, his offensive load could look different, and his approaching 1,000th NHL game arrives at a moment when his responsibilities may be shifting. For a longtime cornerstone, that kind of change can be just as significant as any rumor. [Read more 🡒]