There is a lot to get excited about for the upcoming Toronto Maple Leafs season. Auston Matthews might be back to his old self. William Nylander is here and going to be the same scorer we know and love. Potential growth in young players like Matthew Knies and even younger ones like Easton Cowan. But, maybe bigger than all of that is seeing what Gavin McKenna can do.
The 2026 first-overall pick is certainly getting a whole lot of hype and we might attempt to tame our excitement for the 18-year-old winger, but he's certainly not helping us calm down with the peformances he's putting in during the preseason.
Gavin McKenna put on a show Wednesday night
On Wednesday night, during the preseason finale against the Ottawa Senators, McKenna took his game to a new level. In the 6-1 win (that we really wish mattered), he earned one assist and had a plus-3 rating while playing 16:47 time-on-ice.
One assist and one shot on goal is fairly tame but when he was on the ice, the Leafs were a dominant force.
Leafs with Gavin McKenna on the ice tonight:
— Liam (@Willy4Hart) September 24, 2026
• Shot Attempts: 23-3
• Shots On Goal: 13-2
• Scoring Chances: 13-2
• High Danger Chances: 7-1
• xG Share: 92%
• Goals: 3-0
Only preseason, but McKenna was unbelievable.
While playing on a line with stars like John Tavares and Nylander certainly helps, McKenna has been doing a whole lot of the legwork to help create these scoring chances that made the result so lopsided.
And it wasn't even just Wednesday night against the Senators. During his first ever taste of playing something resembling NHL hockey last Saturday, McKenna was a dog and creating so many scoring chances. He contributed so much that he was really the main driver offensively throughout both preseason games.
Gavin McKenna...
— Mike Kelly (@MikeKellyNHL) September 24, 2026
Pre-season, sample size etc.....but, a few things of note. Led the Leafs in pre-season in a few key offensive areas which speak to his strengths. Zone entries (17), OZ possession (2:13) and slot passes (8).
A lot to like heading into Tuesday's season opener. pic.twitter.com/FIVqD0r2zj
That's just some beautiful stuff. A player who looks as impactful as he is. Entering the zone with pace, sending pucks to his teammates in the perfect spots -- his vision is just otherworldly.
Sure, it's the preseason and he wasn't facing a full NHL team and the doubters will poke holes in that, but it also feels like we can continue to see this happen once the season opens next Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens.
It feels absurd that the Leafs could just inject this level of teenaged talent after one bad season, with a roster that we all thought could very well be competitive at the top of the Atlantic Division this time last year. It was just a miserable experience for several months, and now McKenna is here as someone who can prove to be a bona fide NHL top-six winger on Day 1.
We are very lucky, we know.
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