3 Questions About McKenna Going Into the 2026–27 Season

Gavin McKenna was selected first overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft on Friday, and the reaction was pretty predictable — excitement, hype, and a lot of talk about what he could become. Because when you watch him, the offensive talent jumps out immediately.

McKenna is one of those players who can slow the game down without actually slowing his feet down. His edgework makes him slippery in tight spaces, his vision is already NHL-level, and he has the kind of puck touch that lets him create offence out of nothing. He can also step off the wall and beat goalies clean, which is why a lot of people already see him as a future power-play driver in the Patrick Kane mould.

The real question is how he handles a pressure-packed market like Toronto.

But the real conversation going into the 2026–27 season isn’t just about what McKenna is — it’s about what he’s about to run into in Toronto. And that’s where the tension starts to build.

Question 1: How fast does the offence actually translate?

The skill is obvious, but NHL defences don’t give you the same time and space he had in junior or even the NCAA. McKenna can dominate with the puck, but the league will test how quickly he can make reads under pressure when he doesn’t have time to dance.

Question 2: Can he handle the 5-on-5 grind?

This is where things get interesting. At times, McKenna naturally drifts to the perimeter when he’s pressured, and his defensive engagement has been questioned. That’s not unusual for a top pick, but in Toronto it gets magnified fast. The Maple Leafs won’t just want offence — they’ll need him to survive shifts without the puck swinging against him.

Question 3: Who does he become when he plays next to elite talent?

This is the least talked-about question, but maybe the most important. If McKenna ends up on a line with someone like Auston Matthews or William Nylander, the game could open up for him quickly. But it also forces him into a different role — less free-flowing puck artist, more structured NHL winger who has to pick his moments.

That’s the tension McKenna walks into in Toronto.

That’s the real tension here. McKenna doesn’t arrive as a finished product; he arrives as a high-end offensive mind stepping into one of the most demanding markets in hockey. The skill says he’ll figure it out. The league says it won’t be immediate. And Toronto says every shift will be watched as if it matters already.