Maple Leafs defy odds to win 2026 NHL Draft Lottery, gain much-needed PR boost

Why was John Chayka's introductory news conference a disaster

Chayka was an unpopular hire. He served as GM for the Arizona Coyotes (now the Utah Mammoth) from 2016-20, posting a 131-147-38 record. 

The Coyotes clinched a playoff berth during Chayka's final season, but a scandal overshadowed that. He resigned in July 2020, one day before the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs. In August 2020, it emerged that the Coyotes conducted illegal predraft testing outside the NHL Scouting Combine, which is strictly prohibited. Phoenix forfeited a 2020 second- and a 2021 first-round pick as punishment.

In January 2021, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman suspended Chayka for the remainder of the calendar year for "conduct detrimental to the league and game." The commissioner said he breached his contract by pursuing other opportunities and ending it with three years remaining. 

Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun confronted Maple Leafs president Keith Pelley about Chayka's checkered past during his introductory news conference on Monday. The reporter said multiple sources called the hiring a "sham" and called the new GM a "con artist." Pelley refuted those claims.  

Regardless, Chayka is now getting a second chance in Toronto. He can use the No. 1 pick in the draft to make the most of it. 

Who could Maple Leafs select with the No. 1 pick in the NHL Draft?

Penn State Nittany Lions left winger Gavin McKenna (5-foot-11, 170 pounds) is considered the No. 1 prospect in the 2026 class. He's not the same caliber of prospect as Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (pick No. 1 in the 2024 draft), but he looks like a potential star after logging 51 points (15 goals and 36 assists) in 35 games for Penn State. 

"Still, despite some of the flaws in his game, McKenna projects as a first-line star winger and dynamic power-play tactician," wrote The Athletic's Scott Wheeler in his scouting report. 

The likelihood that they'll add McKenna provides hope for the Maple Leafs after going 32-36-14 and missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season. It also gives them a needed public relations boost after Chayka's introductory news conference couldn't have gone much worse.