Toronto Maple Leafs GM John Chayka touched on how things went during a recent visit to Whitehorse, Yukon, to meet with highly touted prospect Gavin McKenna and his family.

With the 2026 NHL Draft fast approaching, the Leafs will select first overall and have the right to add McKenna to their ranks if they choose to do so. While there was a brief stir on social media about him having dinner only with the Vancouver Canucks during the NHL Draft Combine this week, reports soon emerged that the Leafs made the trip up to Yukon’s capital, which was later confirmed by McKenna himself.

“I spent a lot of time with him and his family now and going through that process. We want to make sure we get the person right, first and foremost,” Chayka said to reporters in Buffalo about the visit. “Gavin is a really nice young man. Really quality family. Spent some quality time with him, got to know him. He’s a small-town kid. It’s a remote area of the world, very peaceful but beautiful. Within that, I think there’s some real resolve around who he is and what his career means to him and his family, and I find it impressive.”

Since the Leafs shocked the hockey world by winning the draft lottery, an intense debate has emerged regarding whether McKenna is indeed the person to take or if the Leafs should go with someone else like Ivar Stenberg. There is no doubt that the Leafs have done extensive work on the five to six players within the range of the first overall pick, as Chayka outlined to reporters. Still, it sure says something about how they feel about McKenna that they went the extra mile to visit him and his family in his hometown.

That means getting all of the information they need in assessing the characteristics of the players they are considering, and going above and beyond to ensure they are comfortable with who they are selecting.

“We’ve gone through everything about every player, about instances, as much as they’ve participated in. I’ve talked to everyone personally involved, including Gavin,” Chayka said. “The probability is we take the pick, just realistically. We have had discussions, we will continue to have discussions. Obviously, everything is for sale at the right price. But to date, there’s nothing compelling that we’re seriously considering, but there’s still time.”

It is safe to assume at the time of filing that the Leafs are going to select McKenna first overall when they are called to the stage at the start of the NHL Draft on June 26. That isn’t to say that there is zero chance they go with someone else entirely, but it’s hard to envision them going in a different direction given how much praise was heaped upon him by Chayka.

In the meantime, the Leafs continue their search to find their next head coach to replace Craig Berube. Chayka was asked about the state of affairs and if they would be able to announce the hire before the draft in Buffalo.

“Organizationally, we need to be aligned and that alignment that starts with ownership,” he said. “This is the next leader of the Toronto Maple Leafs. We’ve gone through a very thorough process. There were 55 people we spoke to, or reached out. We’ve had, you know, this initial kind of call it first round that we just finished up recently. Now we’re getting into the next layer of this. No timeline, or time constraints.”