The Toronto Maple Leafs won the NHL Draft Lottery, shooting up to the top pick in the draft. At the NHL Draft Combine, they went through the normal interview process like every other team. But they tipped their hand to one particular prospect. According to Shawn Hutcheon of HEH Advising, the Maple Leafs told Gavin McKenna that they would take him first in the draft.
“A source close to the situation, who was part of the NHL Combine, tells me Toronto told Gavin McKenna during their interview with the player that they intend on drafting him with the first overall pick,” Hutcheon reported.
McKenna has long been assumed to be the top pick in this NHL Draft. His time in the Western Hockey League made him a highly recruited NCAA prospect before last season. He joined the Penn State Nittany Lions, where he scored 51 points in 31 games. He also scored 14 points in seven games with Team Canada in the World Junior Championships.
There are some high-end prospects available in the NHL Draft outside of McKenna. That includes defensemen Chase Reid and Keaton Verhoff, who could be intriguing picks for the Maple Leafs. But, according to this report, they are already set on locking McKenna in as their next superstar.
The Maple Leafs won the NHL Draft Lottery just as their franchise’s outlook seemed the bleakest. They lost Mitch Marner, hired John Chayka as the general manager, and currently do not have a head coach. There have been no reports of Auston Matthews asking for a trade, maybe because the top pick is coming to Toronto.
McKenna will have an incredibly bright spotlight on him from his first day with the Maple Leafs. After the incredible successes of top picks Matthew Schaefer and Macklin Celebrini, McKenna will be expected to flourish immediately.
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