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Daily Faceoff’s Mock Draft sees Maple Leafs selecting Gavin McKenna with first overall pick
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Photo credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
Michael Mazzei
May 6, 2026, 06:00 EDTUpdated: May 5, 2026, 20:19 EDT
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The Toronto Maple Leafs were gifted a lifeline of epic proportions when the balls bounced in their favour at the draft lottery to earn the first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
The 2025-26 season was a trying one for the team, going into it with aspirations of winning the Stanley Cup and ending up fifth last with a looming threat of giving the Boston Bruins their first round pick. Given all the turmoil that surrounded the search process that resulted in the arrival of John Chayka and Mats Sundin, the temperature in the city was at a fever pitch in the wake of their introductory press conference.
One day later, the Leafs found out they will be first on the clock when teams gather in Buffalo for the NHL draft on June 26. That naturally leads to the next logical question: who should the Leafs take with the first overall pick? According to Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis, his mock draft sees the Leafs taking Gavin McKenna, who he wrote the following about:
Oh. My. Gosh. Toronto, you did it. This is the guy who’ll sell jerseys and get fans to love the team again. He’s the most skilled player in the class, and most of the concerns around his game started to disappear after the World Juniors. Does Ivar Stenberg outperform him in the two-way sector? Absolutely. But in terms of raw, game-changing skill, nobody has what McKenna has in this class. He still needs to bulk up to truly succeed in the NHL, but an NHL coaching staff will help. You’d hate to be the team that passes on McKenna this year.
While Chakya did emphasize the need to get mobility on the back end and improve the makeup of the defensive core, it makes sense why the Leafs would be hard-pressed to pass on the talent that McKenna can bring to the fold. It would bring in some additional game-breaking skill to a team that already possesses Auston Matthews and William Nylander, while also serving as the face of the next era of the team alongside Matthew Knies and Easton Cowan.
“The skill level, the creativity, his shot and release is really special,” Chayka said about potentially taking McKenna first overall. “It will be good to get with the scouts and go through it all. The nice part is, we haven’t had scouting meetings yet. We’ll be super diligent.”
Slotting second in the mock draft is Ivar Stenberg, who has made a compelling case to be the first overall pick himself after an impressive showing in the SHL and at the World Juniors. If the Leafs choose to go with McKenna, it is expected that he will go to the other team that won the draft lottery in the San Jose Sharks. Rounding out the top five are Caleb Malhotra, Chase Reid, and Keaton Verhoeff.
While it remains to be seen who exactly the Leafs will take with the first overall pick, the odds seem to be leaning towards McKenna being the newest member of the team.

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