Gavin McKenna: The Maple Leafs have reportedly already discussed their draft plans with him

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Gavin McKenna: The Maple Leafs have reportedly already discussed their draft plans with him
Credit: Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images

As we know, the Maple Leafs will have the first overall pick in the upcoming draft. The team won the lottery, and John Chayka will be able to select the prospect of his choice to kick off his tenure in Toronto.

Remember that the most likely scenario for the club on the night of the lottery was for the Leafs' pick to drop to the 6th spot and head to Boston.

The question is whether the Leafs will opt for Gavin McKenna or be tempted by Ivar Stenberg. Both seem to have pulled ahead of the rest of the pack as the top prospects in the draft class.

But according to Shawn Hutcheon of The Fourth Period, the club may have already made its choice: the Maple Leafs reportedly told McKenna during the Combine that they intend to select him with the first pick.

Logic should therefore hold true.

That said, it's still quite unusual to mention this to a prospect so early before the draft. Generally, teams tend to wait until the end of the process before informing the player in question, often shortly before the start of the first round.

But clearly, it seems the Leafs have already set their sights on McKenna, who tops nearly every list ahead of the upcoming draft.

That would mean the Sharks, who currently hold the second pick, should have the opportunity to draft Stenberg with the second overall selection. But we also know the team is in greater need of a right-handed defenseman, and there are some good ones in this year's draft class.

And the Canucks, who hold the third pick, could very well select Caleb Malhotra, the son of their head coach. Let's see how things play out on the night of the first round.


In a nutshell

– Makes sense.

– Remember that the Capitals, who didn't make the playoffs, won more games than the Golden Knights this season.

– Interesting.

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