It’s always about the Toronto Maple Leafs

Mats Sundin reiterated that Toronto is the centre of the hockey universe during Monday’s introductory press conference, and his statement rang prophetic. Sundin and general manager John Chayka will be tasked with leading the Toronto Maple Leafs into a new era of prosperity, and they were provided with a lifeline. Toronto won the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery, effectively gaining the right to Penn State forward Gavin McKenna, an electric offensive talent who effectively washes over the Mitch Marner saga.

“He’s an exciting player that I’ve been tracking for a number of years now,” Chayka said of McKenna, following the lottery win Tuesday evening. “The skill level, the creativity, the puck ability, his shot and release is all pretty special. Good package. It will be good to get with the scouts and talk through it all, but I know there’s a lot of passion for a lot of players, including Gavin.”

Sundin and Chayka’s press conference was the talk of the hockey world on Monday. Toronto’s divisional rivals in the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres are set to square off in what could be a thrilling second round series. It’s been rendered an afterthought. Whether you like it or not, the Maple Leafs vacuum up the attention of the hockey world, and after a 78-point campaign, they are basking in the spotlight throughout the first week of May. It’s always about the Toronto Maple Leafs.

As you may imagine, Tuesday’s lottery victory wasn’t well-received in the hockey world at-large. Toronto held 8.5 percent odds of securing the first overall pick and through divine intervention, the combination of 7-2-11-12 emerged, flattening hopes across the nation. At watch parties in Vancouver, Calgary and New York, fans all reached the consensus that the Maple Leafs winning the lottery was the worst possible option. What did the 2025-26 Maple Leafs ever do to you besides allow goals at an astonishing rate? It’s always about the Leafs, brother.

If you believe in karma, perhaps the Maple Leafs earned the right to the top choice because they didn’t tank! Craig Berube inexplicably tried to play his best possible lineup until the final week of the season, even though it was against his team’s medium-term interest. Berube will surely find a way to incorporate the silky playmaker into his top-six, even if his aversion to young players was on full display last year. You can hear the wailing from other cities: Toronto misses the playoffs for one year and it gets the rights to Gavin McKenna? It’s always about the Leafs. It’s always about the Leafs.

In this corner of the internet, the jury is still out on Chayka’s tenure. We’re waiting to see what the 36-year-old can deliver, and how his interpretation of data will guide the Maple Leafs into the future. Other columnists on the Leafs beat vehemently disagree. What we can all agree upon: McKenna (or Ivar Stenberg, as the case may be) will inevitably give Chayka and Sundin an advantage in shaping the next era of Maple Leafs hockey. Toronto can now afford to trade William Nylander or Auston Matthews, a notion that would’ve been unthinkable prior to the lottery win, for a bevy of picks and grade-A prospects. It can also elect to re-tool, and try to reshape the pieces around Matthews and Nylander, with McKenna pencilled in as a ready-made top-six winger. Toronto was rewarded for its on-ice incompetence. It’s always about the Leafs.

There were more deserving teams than the Maple Leafs. Vancouver has never won the draft lottery and would’ve printed money if it had won the right to select McKenna. McKenna is the type of player that Calgary can likely acquire through the draft, as it’s not an ideal free agency destination. New York could only roll its eyes, before turning its attention to the Yankees, Knicks and a running stream of Met Gala analysis. It may be unfair, but fair has nothing to do with it. It’s always about the Leafs.