Maple Leafs made the right choice in taking Gavin McKenna No. 1

Gavin McKenna poses with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and singer Justin Bieber after being selected with the first pick in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs at KeyBank Center. Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

Maple Leafs made the right choice by taking Gavin McKenna No. 1 overall in NHL Draft

By Adam Gretz | Last updated Jun 26, 2026 7:55 PM ET

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After winning the 2026 NHL Draft lottery and getting the No. 1 overall pick, the Toronto Maple Leafs were faced with a big decision.

Do they do the expected thing and take Penn State's Gavin McKenna with the top pick? Or do they buy into the idea that the gap between him and the rest of the class was shrinking and take somebody like winger Ivar Stenberg?

Or perhaps do something even more unthinkable and trade the pick to move down the draft board, stockpiling more draft picks and getting some extra defensive help?

In the end, they did the smart thing.

And the expected thing.

On Friday night, they made it official and selected McKenna with the top pick.

The obvious pick was the right pick for the Maple Leafs

Going into the start of the 2025-26 season, McKenna was not only the consensus best prospect in this class, but he was being talked about as one of the best prospects since Connor McDavid.

His decision to play college hockey instead of sticking in the Canadian Junior leagues may have been the thing that slowed down the hype around him.

GAVIN MCKENNA YOU ARE A TORONTO MAPLE LEAF! pic.twitter.com/tLhN8i3ivF
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) June 26, 2026

Because he was playing against better competition and older players, some of his flaws were highlighted a little more, and he was not able to put up the type of video-game numbers top prospects usually do in the CHL.

Instead of playing against overmatched 16, 17 and 18-year-olds, he was playing against 19, 20 and 21-year-olds who are significantly closer to NHL action.

Points and goal totals are what get attention, and players are simply not going to score that way in the NCAA.

Even with that, he still had a monster year offensively at Penn State, given his age and the level of competition he faced, while also getting a chance to work on his shortcomings and play against better players.

That should not have been a sign or a red flag.

If anything, it should have been even more encouraging because it almost certainly made him more NHL-ready.

It's a potentially franchise-changing moment for a Maple Leafs team that has reached a plateau in recent years and badly needs an influx of young, impact talent. Especially as they try to contend before Auston Matthews has his contract expire in two years.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on X @AGretz

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