The big day is finally here.

In just a matter of hours, the Maple Leafs are expected to select Gavin McKenna first overall, officially ushering in a new era for the franchise.

That’s where the conversation started on the Draft Day edition of Leafs Morning Take, as Rosie and I were back together in our Toronto studio. Needless to say, there has been no shortage of buzz surrounding the Leafs in the lead-up to the draft.

First, we tackled the Jason Robertson speculation. In case you missed it, the Stars winger reportedly turned down a contract with Seattle after the Kraken and Stars had agreed in principle to a trade. Why does that matter? According to multiple reports, Dallas was set to receive the seventh overall pick in the deal, and that pick was believed to be in play for Toronto as part of a potential Matthew Knies trade. Obviously, nothing materialized, but the Knies rumours continue to swirl. Time will tell if anything ultimately happens, but we’d both love to see him remain a Maple Leaf.

From there, we broke down everything John Chayka had to say as the Leafs officially introduced Jim Hiller as head coach on Thursday. Most notably, Chayka was measured and noncommittal when discussing Morgan Rielly’s future. His message was essentially that the Leafs don’t have to trade Rielly, which could very well be part of a negotiating strategy. We also touched on the latest updates regarding Auston Matthews’ recovery from knee surgery, Chris Tanev’s health, and Anthony Stolarz’s status. Overall, there was plenty of encouraging news on the injury front. Finally, we discussed the decision to part ways with assistant coach Mike Van Ryn. The move wasn’t overly surprising, as new head coaches often prefer to build out their own staff. It will be interesting to see who Jim Hiller brings in to round out his coaching team.

Ahead of the NHL Draft, Pierre McGuire stopped by to preview a pivotal night for the Maple Leafs. McGuire explained why he believes the draft is top-heavy before breaking down what Toronto can expect from presumptive first-overall pick Gavin McKenna, even comparing the superstar prospect’s ceiling to Patrick Kane. He also weighed in on Chase Reid and Carson Carels, discussed why he wouldn’t trade Matthew Knies, shared his thoughts on Jim Hiller and Darren Raddysh, addressed the Leafs’ goaltending situation, and revealed the one player he would be calling about if he were GM John Chayka: Mason McTavish.

Talk on Monday at 11 AM ET!

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