"This is the year we end the drought": Gavin McKenna's Arrival Supercharges the Maple Leafs

The kid hasn't even played a regular-season shift, and he's already calling his shot. "This is the year we end the drought," 18-year-old Gavin McKenna told KiSS 92.5's Maurie Sherman on Friday. For a Toronto Maple Leafs franchise staggering under the weight of a 59-year championship dry spell—the longest active drought in the NHL—that kind of swagger is either foolish or foundational. After watching the 2026 first-overall pick carve up the ice over the last week of the preseason, the smart money in Toronto is heavily leaning toward the latter.[1]

The Maple Leafs missed the playoffs entirely in the 2025-26 campaign, a bitter failure that yielded a massive consolation prize: winning the draft lottery and the right to select McKenna. Fresh off a historic freshman season at Penn State, the Whitehorse, Yukon native arrived at training camp carrying the hopes of the sport's most demanding market. Yet, instead of buckling, McKenna has seemingly absorbed the pressure, sliding seamlessly onto a second line flanked by high-priced veterans John Tavares and William Nylander.[5][7]

McKenna made his NHL preseason debut last Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena. Head coach Jim Hiller didn't shelter the rookie. McKenna logged 20:39 of ice time—the fifth-highest total on the roster—including 16:11 at even strength and 4:22 orchestrating the second power-play unit. While Toronto dropped the exhibition contest 4-1, McKenna's underlying metrics and sheer slipperiness in transition proved he belonged on the ice with grown men fighting for their jobs.[3]

"That starting lineup call was pretty cool," McKenna said of the deafening ovation he received from the home crowd. "I'll remember this day forever. I felt pretty good. I thought I created a bit but also had a couple turnovers, which I think kind of just happens with nerves. But like I said, I think it was a good start and a lot to build on."[6]

He didn't wait long to build on it. In his second preseason outing on Wednesday, McKenna was arguably the best player on the ice during a 6-1 dismantling of the Ottawa Senators. He recorded his first professional point, delivering a pinpoint assist on a Tavares goal, and consistently tilted the ice with his elite edge work. The transition from the NCAA to the NHL is notoriously steep, but McKenna's processing speed has made the jump look effortless.[4]

His linemates are already taking notes. "The playmaking is elite," Tavares said of his new left winger after watching him dance away from a check by hard-nosed defenseman Chris Tanev in practice. "Both super smart players, and with John, he's a workhorse, and with Willie, he's so skilled," McKenna countered, explaining the immediate chemistry. "Just make my plays and try to get toward the net. Pucks will find me with those types of players."[5]

The pedigree justifies the hype. Last season at Penn State, McKenna shattered the freshman single-season record by racking up 51 points in just 35 games. His 36 assists ranked second in the entire nation, and his 1.46 points-per-game average led the Big Ten. He wasn't just surviving against older, heavier collegiate competition; he was dictating the terms of engagement.[7]

Now, the Maple Leafs' brain trust is focused on insulating their new star. Hiller admitted he initially worried McKenna might be overly deferential to Tavares and Nylander, looking to force passes to the established veterans rather than taking his own shots. Two days into camp, those fears evaporated.

"I haven't seen that at all," Hiller noted. "He's just a nice young man, no air about him. He's confident in his own way, certainly not cocky. But when he gets on the ice, he knows how good he is... he just makes the right play when it needs to be made."[2]

Captain Auston Matthews, who intimately understands the crucible of being a No. 1 overall pick in Toronto after walking the exact same path in 2016, has taken McKenna under his wing. "He's great, he plays with a lot of confidence," Matthews observed. "It's not easy to jump into your first game after a very short two practices and then right into a preseason game in the NHL. But he had moments out there where you can tell just how skilled and how talented he is."[2][6]

The real test arrives on Tuesday, September 29, when the Maple Leafs open their 84-game regular season against the Canadiens. Preseason flashes and bold radio quotes will quickly give way to the grinding reality of the NHL schedule. But for a Toronto fanbase that spent the last year watching a flawed roster miss the postseason, McKenna represents more than just a top prospect. He is a hard reset—an 18-year-old jolt of electricity who genuinely believes 1967 is just a number, and that 2026 is the year everything changes.[1][3]