The Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t use the No. 1 pick on Gavin McKenna just to throw him straight into the fire.
After winning the draft lottery and landing the first overall selection in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, Toronto took McKenna, while Ivar Stenberg slid to second and went to the San Jose Sharks. That pick immediately stirred up talk about how fast the Maple Leafs would lean on their newest prize. For now, the answer is: not too fast.
McKenna arrives with plenty of offensive shine. The 18-year-old spent last season at Penn State University, where he put up 15 goals and 36 assists for 51 points in 35 games.
Before that, he was lighting it up in the Western Hockey League with the Medicine Hat Tigers. In 2023-24, he scored 34 goals and added 63 assists for 97 points in 61 games.
He followed that up in 2024-25 with 41 goals and 88 assists for 129 points in 56 games.
Still, the Maple Leafs are not planning to force him into their top six right away. Pierre LeBrun said on a recent TSN Insider Trading segment that Toronto intends to bring McKenna along gradually instead of dropping him into a major role from opening night. That fits with what head coach Jim Hiller said recently, when he made it clear he wants to put McKenna - and the rest of the roster - in the best possible spots to succeed.
Toronto’s offseason work gives them some room to do that. The club added forward depth in free agency, which opens the door to some lineup shuffling early on.
One possibility is McKenna beginning the season on the third line with Colton Sissons and Nick Paul. That setup could also create an opening for Easton Cowan to get a shot in the top six and see how he handles a bigger workload.
If McKenna settles in quickly, a move upward would not be a surprise. Jack Roslovic could be the one to slide down, and that would be more about balance than punishment.
Roslovic, who spent last season with the Edmonton Oilers before joining the Maple Leafs in free agency this summer, has shown he can be effective in different spots throughout a lineup. Toronto could use that flexibility to spread out its scoring.
That kind of approach also makes sense given the expectations hanging over McKenna. First overall picks always bring pressure, but Toronto is a different level of spotlight. Auston Matthews set the tone for what a top selection can mean there, and fans are going to compare McKenna to him right away.
The Maple Leafs’ plan is designed to help McKenna adjust without overload. They want him comfortable with NHL pace as quickly as possible, but they also have the patience to let him grow into a larger role. The belief around the club is that he’ll catch on fast and become a contributor sooner rather than later.
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For a team trying to get its lineup settled early, the timing is hardly ideal. The Leafs now have to build around the possibility of being without a player they expected to factor into their forward group, while also waiting for clearer signs on when he might be ready to return. For now, the focus shifts to coverage, flexibility, and hoping the recovery path stays on track. [Read more 🡒]
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Matthew Knies Trade Noise Just Drew A Clear Line In Toronto
The buzz around Matthew Knies has been hard to ignore, but the Maple Leafs made it clear Friday that the noise belongs to a different era. General manager John Chayka said any trade discussions involving Knies were handled by the previous management group and should not be read as part of the current plan, drawing a firm line between past chatter and the direction Toronto is taking now.
Chayka also reinforced that Knies remains a meaningful piece of the lineup and that the present front office is invested in his future with the club. For a player whose name has surfaced in rumor cycles, the message was designed to settle things down rather than stir them up, even if it leaves the broader question of how Toronto continues to shape its roster still worth watching. [Read more 🡒]