All signs point to the Toronto Maple Leafs selecting Gavin McKenna with the first overall pick of the 2026 NHL Draft, though not everyone is fully sold that he is a franchise-altering prospect.
While insider Jeff Marek believes McKenna is supremely talented and will become a major point producer at the NHL level, he does not see him in the same tier as Macklin Celebrini, Matthew Schaefer, or even Connor Bedard.
“I kind of feel in some ways bad for Gavin McKenna and the Toronto Maple Leafs right now, because right away you’re going to be measured up against some of the recent first-overall picks in Macklin Celebrini, Matthew Schaefer, and Connor Bedard. Like, let’s be clear — Gavin McKenna is not those players.
Gavin McKenna is an excellent hockey player. I think we can look at Gavin McKenna and say probably this guy eventually can be a 100-point player. But no one is getting a generational guy in this draft. No one is getting someone that’s going to completely change your organization. Make no mistake about it — he is not going to come in and change the fortunes of the Toronto Maple Leafs,”
The 18-year-old McKenna tallied 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists) in 35 games played for the Penn State Nittany Lions this past season.
While Marek may be right that McKenna won’t immediately turn things around on his own the way Celebrini or Schaefer have in San Jose and New York, the upside remains massive.
Let’s not forget he racked up 129 points (41 goals, 88 assists) in just 56 games for the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL in 2024-25, and had he stayed in junior hockey this year and torn it up again, he likely would have been viewed in the same tier as those recent first-overall picks.
With the potential of playing alongside superstars like Auston Matthews and William Nylander in Toronto, you could make the case that McKenna is set up to be an impact player from the start for the Maple Leafs.
Next: Insider Says the Edmonton Oilers Are All In on Mike Babcock
