Gavin McKenna’s summer stop in Muskoka put him in some familiar company, and one name in that group is going to make Maple Leafs fans do a double take.
The Leafs’ top prospect and the most recent first-overall pick was recently seen in Ontario after spending time in his home province of the Yukon. Before the rookie season that will bring a long list of firsts in what is hoped to be a lengthy NHL career, McKenna was enjoying cottage time in Muskoka with several NHL players.
Among them was Mitch Marner.
The sighting came with Evan Bouchard, Dylan Cozens and Ryan McLeod also in the mix, along with some young fans nearby. But Marner’s presence is the one that will draw the loudest reaction in Leafs Nation, because his exit still hangs over the conversation any time his name comes up in Toronto.
There is an obvious reason some fans would bristle at McKenna spending time with him. Marner turned down a franchise-record contract to stay with the Maple Leafs and instead chose the Vegas Golden Knights, a move that left plenty of frustration behind in Toronto. For those fans, the worry is simple: if McKenna absorbs Marner’s view of what it means to be a Leaf, he might one day decide he wants out of the spotlight that comes with playing in the center of the hockey universe.
That’s the worst-case reading.
But there’s another way to look at it, and it’s a much more interesting one for the Leafs. If McKenna and Marner actually spend time talking, and if the rookie picks Marner’s brain for advice or mentorship, that could help shape McKenna into something special on the ice.
The two are both smaller wingers with elite playmaking ability. The biggest separation between them is what happens away from the puck.
Marner has built his reputation as one of the best defensive wingers in hockey, and he paired that with roughly 100-point production during his years in Toronto. McKenna, meanwhile, drew some skepticism from scouts because of his lack of attention to the defensive side of the game, or simply his work in situations that aren’t centered on offense.
If McKenna picks up even part of Marner’s defensive habits, the upside changes fast. A Marner-like impact on that side of the puck would give the Leafs prospect a much higher ceiling, and maybe eventually a chance to become a better player than Marner ever was in Toronto.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs May Have Found A Prospect They Desperately Need
Tinus-Luc Koblar is starting to look like the kind of prospect the Maple Leafs have been hoping to uncover, and his first season with Leksands IF in the Swedish Hockey League is giving Toronto a useful early read on his game. At 19, he is already facing older professional competition, and that kind of assignment tends to tell you plenty about whether a player is simply filling a developmental slot or actually pushing forward faster than expected. For a late second-round pick, that kind of growth curve is especially encouraging.
What makes Koblar stand out inside the Leafs' prospect pool is the mix itself. Toronto does not have many young players who combine size and skill in one package, which is part of why the organization is keeping close tabs on him this season. He is still early in the process, of course, but the fact that he is producing while adapting to the pace and physical demands of pro hockey has put him on a more interesting track than most players his draft slot usually follow. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Just Made A Bet Fans Will Instantly Compare To Makar
The Maple Leafs have added a big piece to their blue line picture, signing defenseman Darren Raddysh to an eight-year deal with an $8.5 million annual cap hit. It is the kind of contract that immediately invites comparison across the league, especially with Colorado locking up Cale Makar on an eight-year extension at a far higher number, even if the two players sit in very different places on the rsum spectrum.
For Toronto, the bet is less about matching superstar value and more about betting early on a defender who just delivered a breakout season and could grow into the role the contract demands. The cap implications matter here, because long-term deals at this level shape how a team can build around them, and the Leafs are clearly making a roster-construction choice that says as much about belief in Raddyshs trajectory as it does about the price of defense in todays NHL. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs May Be More Dangerous Up Front And From The Blue Line
NHL EDGE data is pointing to a Maple Leafs group that could look a little more dangerous in different ways this season, with the offense not just coming from the usual places up front. The numbers suggest Toronto may get more punch from the blue line, where Darren Raddysh has shown a knack for high-velocity shot attempts, while forwards such as Matthew Knies, Jack Roslovic and William Nylander bring the kind of traits that can tilt a game even before the puck drops on opening night.
What makes it interesting for Toronto is how those skill sets could feed the power play and make the team harder to defend across a full night, especially if the forward group builds on what it showed a year ago. The question now is how all of that translates once training camp begins, because the ingredients for more scoring are there, but the exact shape of the attack still has to sort itself out. [Read more 🡒]