The Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t just get a draft lottery win. They got a jolt, a reset button and, in Gavin McKenna, the kind of player who changes the conversation the second he walks through the door.
That surprise lottery result, paired with the club’s announcement of its new front-office pairing of general manager John Chayka and senior advisor Mats Sundin, quickly altered the mood around the organization. What followed was one of the NHL’s busiest and most well-regarded offseasons, with the buzz around McKenna sitting at the center of it all.
For Toronto fans, the dream has been obvious: McKenna and Auston Matthews on the same team. And if the fit works the way most expect, Matthews stands to gain the most.
The hockey side of it is easy to picture. McKenna’s vision and passing touch should mesh cleanly with Matthews’ finishing ability. One of the first camp debates will be whether McKenna opens on Matthews’ wing, but even if that doesn’t happen immediately, the two are expected to spend plenty of time together at even strength during the 2026-27 season.
The power play may be where the pairing really takes off. McKenna is projected to be part of the top unit, and his playmaking should help Matthews bounce back after a career-worst five power-play goals in 2025-26. Add in the arrival of hard-shooting defenseman Darren Raddysh, and the Leafs suddenly have more ways to feed both of their offensive engines.
Long term, the expectation is even clearer: McKenna as the setup man, Matthews as the finisher. It’s the kind of combination Toronto has been chasing for years, and the two skill sets look made for each other.
But McKenna’s value to Matthews won’t stop at the blue line.
Toronto is a pressure cooker, and McKenna should help take some of that heat off the captain. He’s still in the honeymoon phase in his new home, but he already looks like someone who understands the market he’s stepping into.
While plenty of players want to avoid the glare, McKenna appears ready for it. He brings a “swagger” that Leafs fans are going to appreciate.
That matters because Matthews is about to enter another camp with plenty of questions hanging over him. He has been radio-silent over the offseason, and he’ll still be a major storyline, especially as he returns from a serious knee injury. But once McKenna has had his first media availability, the 2026 first-overall pick is likely to become a preseason focal point himself, shifting some of the attention away from the 2016 first-overall pick.
Matthews has had help before. William Nylander, Mitch Marner and John Tavares have all shared the spotlight at various points, and Tavares also brings the perspective of a former first-overall pick. Sundin gives both players another resource to lean on, too.
That’s what makes this pairing so interesting. McKenna doesn’t just bring elite playmaking to Matthews’ side.
He brings cover, calm and another layer of star power to a team that has spent years leaning too heavily on one face of the franchise. With McKenna alongside him, Matthews should have a little more room to breathe - and a lot more help turning chances into goals.
In Other News...
Auston Matthews Is Facing The Pressure Leafs Fans Know Too Well
Auston Matthews 2025-26 season ended with a career-low 27 goals and a knee injury, a frustrating year for a player Toronto leans on as both captain and highest-paid star. Even by the standards that come with wearing a Maple Leafs sweater, the pressure around Matthews only grows when the goals dont come in bunches, because his production is tied so closely to how the team is judged from one season to the next.
On TSNs OverDrive, Toronto Star reporter Dave Feschuk and host Bryan Hayes framed the conversation around what comes next, with the bar for Matthews clearly set high again heading into 2026-27. For the Leafs, a return to the 50-goal range is being treated as more than a number on a stat sheet, because it would go a long way toward re-establishing Matthews standing as the player expected to carry the team when the stakes rise. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Suddenly Face A Tough Call On One New Forward
The Maple Leafs have spent much of the offseason reshaping their roster, and the latest wave of additions up front has created a familiar problem: not enough cap room to comfortably keep everyone. With trade chatter around Morgan Rielly having cooled, attention has shifted to Dakota Joshua, a new forward whose size and style could still draw interest around the league as Toronto looks for ways to balance its books.
Joshuas situation is the kind of decision that tends to linger right up until camp, because Toronto can use another forward like him but also has to make the math work. A player with his profile can be useful both as a depth piece and as a trade chip, which leaves the Leafs weighing whether he fits better in the lineup or as part of a deal that clears space for what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Face A Fast McKenna Decision With Real Stakes
Gavin McKenna is about to get a long look in Toronto, and the Maple Leafs are not treating camp like a formality. The first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft will take part in training camp and the preseason as the club gauges whether he can handle a top-six offensive role, a test that carries real weight for both the lineup and his development.
Jim Hiller and the Leafs have only a short runway to sort out where McKenna fits, with preseason games and the opening stretch of the regular season shaping the call. How he looks against NHL competition will help determine whether he stays with the team and how Toronto handles the start of his entry-level contract, a decision that could come into focus quickly once the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]