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Maple Leafs’ Easton Cowan believes Gavin McKenna has the swagger to handle pressure in Toronto
Photo credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
May 12, 2026, 08:00 EDTUpdated: May 12, 2026, 07:59 EDT
As the Toronto Maple Leafs won the first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the team is now conducting scouting meetings. Penn State forward Gavin McKenna is widely presumed to be the favourite. recorded 15 goals and 36 assists in 35 games, leading the Nittany Lions with 51 points during his first season at the NCAA level.
McKenna has long been considered the first overall pick and brings a playmaking element to his game that University of Denver head coach David Carle compared to Nikita Kucherov. The 18-year-old showcased during the 2026 World Juniors, where McKenna picked up 10 assists and 14 points, finishing second in the tournament in both offensive categories, helping Canada pick up a bronze medal.
One young player who can relate to the pressure that Toronto brings is 2023 first-round draft pick Easton Cowan. Cowan wrapped up his first season with the Maple Leafs, appearing in 66 games, posting 11 goals and 18 assists. Cowan, who has joined the AHL’s Toronto Marlies for their playoffs, was asked about how he feels McKenna would handle the pressure of playing in Toronto.
“I think he’d be fine. He’s got that swagger, and he’s a good player,” Cowan said to TSN’s Mark Masters. “He’s confident, he has a ton of skill, but he’s got that swagger which I’d like, so he’d be good.”
The success at such a young age creates an expectation and pressure that McKenna will be instantly ready to become an impact player when he makes the jump to the NHL level. The pressure will be sky-high for McKenna for whatever organization he joins, but could reach new levels if he were to begin his career in a market like Toronto.
Cowan and McKenna previously played together during the 2025 World Juniors in Ottawa. During that tournament, Cowan picked up two points, and McKenna recorded one as Canada slumped to a fifth-place finish. Since that tournament, the two have stayed in touch and will find out in just over a month’s time if they will be teammates once again.
“We were good friends there at the World Juniors, and we’ve stayed in touch,” Cowan said.
A new core of McKenna, Matthew Knies and Easton Cowan? It’s a dream that may be quickly become a reality for Leafs fans.
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