The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the odds and won the NHL draft lottery. That stroke of luck has completely changed the narrative around the moribund franchise. Just a day earlier, all one could talk about was the team’s appointment of new general manager John Chayka, which was being widely criticized. Now, it’s all about that No. 1 pick in next month’s draft.
18-year-old phenom Gavin McKenna is the unanimous top selection, and will certainly look good alongside Auston Matthews on the top line. Of course, the future of Matthews’ Leafs is a different story altogether.
As far as the No. 1 pick goes, the debate now focuses on whether Toronto should retain him, or trade him for more assets.
Former Stanley Cup-winning general manager and longtime NHL veteran executive Brian Burke knows what he will do. And this is not a question for him.
I’m not sure they’ll take Gavin McKenna. Not because he’s not a great prospect. But you can get three assets for this guy, and one of them can play right away… I know what I’d do. I’ll start shopping for that pick – today!
Remember, Burke is the guy who built a Stanley Cup champion in Anaheim as team president and GM. Of course, to play devil’s advocate, he’s also the guy who traded two first-round picks (who became Tyler Seguin and Dougie Hamilton) and a second-round pick to the Boston Bruins to acquire Phil Kessel for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2009.
Could the Maple Leafs trade the No. 1 pick?
There has actually been quite a bit of discussion about what the Leafs could do if they chose to take that option. We know the Vancouver Canucks were hoping to get McKenna, who lived in nearby Kelowna, BC, during her teens. Would trading the top pick with the Canucks, in exchange for their No. 3 pick and a few other top assets, get them to bite?
The Leafs are without their first-round picks in both 2027 and 2028. Wouldn’t it be a huge coup for new GM Chayka to replenish that cupboard with another high-end first-rounder from Vancouver next year, perhaps another elite prospect/young player, and walk away with the third overall pick this year?
The Toronto front office has plenty of options available to Chayka and his compatriot Mats Sundin. But maybe some of it will come back to the captain. Whether or not Matthews is fully prepared to remain a Maple Leaf will impact Chayka and Sundin’s decision about what to do with the No. 1 pick.
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