Confirmed with Link: LEAFS WIN #1 PICK IN 2026 NHL DRAFT

[Gallagbi]

Isn't there a difference between a rankings and a mock draft?

I think the logic is SJ will go Reid at #2 and then Canucks select Malhotra with the father connection?

I think that's the logic, but given it's well believed he'll go fourth there's usually a little more diversity in the rankings

 

[Daisy Jane]

would be nice but would probably required moving Knies to Chicago or something

and hoping he doesn't go 2nd.
i mean who knows what chicago wants to do.

 

[Hellcat]

Your entire post is just an incoherent strawman.

1) He's not ready for the NHL? Name the last #1 overall drafted forward who DIDN'T PLAY the very next NHL Season that transpired. This is laughable, he is absolutely ready to contribute at the NHL level, it's rare for #1 overall D not to play, it's essentially unheard of for forwards in the modern day NHL.

2) Literally nobody is saying he's Crosby or McDavid, but he's also objectively better than Lafreniere who he was more productive then in a lower scoring league a full 14 months of development younger...this is just silly.


3) Him going to NCAA to play against men and challenge himself is a positive, not a negative. He could've scored 200 points this season in the W, but he was already CHL player of the year and won the WHL Championship....I love the drive, willingness to challenge himself, also absolutely loved the adjustments he made in the second half.

4) RE : Lafreniere, this is just subjective nonsense that's not going to go anywhere. Lafreniere had one gear, I was a big fan of his but he was the worst skating #1 overall forward since Tavares, he could never shift gears the way a player like McKenna can, he also didn't have anywhere near the vision, hands. Comparing the statistics of a 16 year old to a player nearly 15 months older is just absurd, whether Lafreniere was viewed as an elite prospect or "very good" is completely and totally irrelevant, McKenna as a 16 year old was better and more dominant than Lafreniere in his Draft year in a lower scoring league, McKenna was undersized playing NCAA in his draft season, Lafreniere was significantly larger than the average Q player at 6'1 195 lbs.

I've seen both of these players life numerous times(Lafreniere around 10 times) and it's very, very evident you never spent time watching him in the Q.

Regarding Celebrini -- No, I used him as an example for just how good, productive Gavin McKenna was in the NCAA at generating scoring chances, literally nobody said this....but absolutely nobody in 2024 thought Celebrini would be the most dominant teenager to enter the NHL since Sidney Crosby either.

When "strawman" gets thrown around incorrectly in the first reply, it's usually a good indication that the discussion has already left the rails. A basic understanding of the English language can be surprisingly useful.

 

[TimeZone]

When "strawman" gets thrown around incorrectly in the first reply, it's usually a good indication that the discussion has already left the rails. A basic understanding of the English language can be surprisingly useful.

"McKenna is not a Crosby or McDavid level prospect"

Literally nobody you're responding to stated he is, nobody inferred as much, you're attacking an argument that has not been made, that is the literal definition of a strawman.

"All I'm saying is slow down"

Slow down with what? The non-existent Crosby/McDavid comparisons that YOU made up?

One does not need to be McDavid or Crosby level to be NHL ready, there hasn't been a #1 overall drafted forward to not play the following NHL season in well over 30 years, that's not going to change in 2026-27.

Quit projecting and go to bed, you clearly haven't spent an adequate amount of time watching(or even following) McKenna or Lafreniere(as a prospect) so why continue to embarrass yourself with laughably bad takes?

 

[Martin Skoula]

Grading IQ on a linear scale is a bit of dead end conversation at the higher levels. Reading the play at high speed and finding your best lane quickly is not the same thing as reading the play and at the same time having an accurate picture of how your opponent is reading the same play, then deliberately making bad-looking choices that you know your opponent will bite on just to move them out of position and make a better play that didn’t exist on first read.

Crosby IQ is brought up as the modern gold standard but was there not always talk about him needing very specific types of wingers, and him making passes that were too smart for his teammates to do something with? Would the higher IQ thing not be tailoring your playmaking to best fit the level your linemates think at, or control the pace to move them where you need them to be for the too-smart-for-grinders passes? Would McDavid not be more dangerous if he wasn’t always at top speed and looking for the highest % danger area but constantly shifted gears and sometimes moved pucks to unexpected 2nd 3rd 4th most dangerous options to keep everyone off balance?

If McKenna isn’t just scanning for how to get the puck to the slot the fastest the second the puck is on his stick, but he’s running a mental model of what his opponents and teammates are thinking and just how much of a turnover carrot to dangle in front of a defender to get them to overcommit without putting the puck in real danger, that’s a completely different conversation than the Crosby comparison.

That probably comes with a lot more growing pains given its high risk and dependent on knowing exactly how fast, how aggressive/disciplined, what kind of reach, etc your opponents have so he can know exactly how much space and time he has to bait the pieces into moving around the board, but that’s a skillset you can build a specific and unique offense around vs a plug and play piece like McDavid or Crosby that’s just going to win their minutes regardless of what your system is doing.

 

[RoadWarrior]

I don't find Alex Nylander to be as good of a stickhandler as William, not even close. He also never put up the kind of numbers William did as a prospect.

Alex Nylander as a comparison to McKenna in any regard is ridiculous. McKenna put up a comparable PPG in the WHL at 15 (it's a 16 year old league without exceptional status) as A. Nylander put up in his draft year.

Alex Nylander put up 7 points in 24 games in the AHL this playoffs - as a 28 year old.

He has a low motor to say the least and his skating is sub par. However he does have terrific hands around the net. It’s just that he doesn’t go to the net very often.

 

[RoadWarrior]

I wonder if he's looking at what Toronto has done this offseason, what American players are doing to make "superteams" in US markets, and deeply regretting that extension with the Oilers right now. Just imagine what we'd look like with McDavid in the mix right now.. and we could easily afford him. it'd be his best shot to win a cup yet, and in his hometown.

I'll never understand why he gave them another chance.

If McDavid leaves Edmonton he’s probably heading stateside to a sunny no state tax destination. The Raddysh connection could be helpful however if they any chance at all of bringing him here. The asking price from Edmonton would be Knies + McKenna + a goalie + multiple firsts. Not worth it to be honest given the mileage on him.

 

[AvroArrow]

If McDavid leaves Edmonton he’s probably heading stateside to a sunny no state tax destination. The Raddysh connection could be helpful however if they any chance at all of bringing him here. The asking price from Edmonton would be Knies + McKenna + a goalie + multiple firsts. Not worth it to be honest given the mileage on him.

Even McDavid isn't worth that much. You're talking about a 1st overall + Knies on an insane contract + 1sts ?

1st overall alone would be fair value considering age/contracts

He's the best player in the world but he's only signed for 2 years, if it was McDavid extended then yes that would be the asking price

 

[RoadWarrior]

Even McDavid isn't worth that much. You're talking about a 1st overall + Knies on an insane contract + 1sts ?

1st overall alone would be fair value considering age/contracts

He's the best player in the world but he's only signed for 2 years, if it was McDavid extended then yes that would be the asking price

McDavid will be extended at $20M per season… so even with an expanded cap that’s huge. You bring in McDavid and say goodbye to Matthews.

 

[Damisoph]

Mckenna has A LOT of Jr. tendencies in his game, carnival freak show stuff that works in the NCAA and Jr. he tries that stuff in the NHL, he will get murdered.

Marner did a lot of that highlight reel stuff in junior too. Seemed to translate for him, it will for McKenna.

 

[The Masters]

we draft this demon yet>?

 

[Apotheosis]

I wonder if he's looking at what Toronto has done this offseason, what American players are doing to make "superteams" in US markets, and deeply regretting that extension with the Oilers right now. Just imagine what we'd look like with McDavid in the mix right now.. and we could easily afford him. it'd be his best shot to win a cup yet, and in his hometown.

I'll never understand why he gave them another chance.

Honestly, would not surprise me if he ends up in Toronto next year (I think that is when his contract is done?). Rising cap, Toronto might actually be decent and a much deeper team than Edmonton. Also, a lot of push back to the obvious American bias being used to push trades out of Canadian teams to play in their desired cities.

 

[notDatsyuk]

Marner did a lot of that highlight reel stuff in junior too. Seemed to translate for him, it will for McKenna.

Are you trying to jinx the guy?

 

[Divine]

 

[RoadWarrior]

Honestly, would not surprise me if he ends up in Toronto next year (I think that is when his contract is done?). Rising cap, Toronto might actually be decent and a much deeper team than Edmonton. Also, a lot of push back to the obvious American bias being used to push trades out of Canadian teams to play in their desired cities.

If McDavid leaves Edmonton he’s going stateside. Wants those low taxes and sunshine. Kudos for committing to a team with lousy ownership and management but enough is enough.

 

[TimeZone]

Lord his hands are gross

 

[Maplebeasts]

The main boards especially the hockey prospect thread with Bjorck ranked #1 is just ridiculous man. The amount of galaxy braining, revisionist history, ignorance of context and stats to bring Mckenna down is staggering from some posters and media outlets.

 

[Divine]

The main boards especially the hockey prospect thread with Bjorck ranked #1 is just ridiculous man. The amount of galaxy braining, revisionist history, ignorance of context and stats to bring Mckenna down is staggering from some posters and media outlets.

What did you expect? The Leafs won the lottery.

The Laine vs Matthews debate was the exact same thing.

 

[TimeZone]

I have time for people who try to be contrarian (reminds me of my 6-years-old son) but frankly some of the takes i read from some people here and on the main boards are laughable at best.
View attachment 1257682

Go into his post history -- I just replied to a post of his on a particular thread stating Gavin McKenna's skating is "average", that his production offensively last season(that was literally top 4 over the last 20 years for a draft eligible prospect) was "absolutely horrific" and attempted to pretend his most producitive games(like the Ohio State 8 point game) shouldn't count towards his stat total(how many 8 point games did his favorite prospect have last season?)

The best part was when he stated we should draft Viggo Bjorck first overall ahead of Gavin McKenna though....the guy is just full of wonderful takes

 

[TimeZone]

The main boards especially the hockey prospect thread with Bjorck ranked #1 is just ridiculous man. The amount of galaxy braining, revisionist history, ignorance of context and stats to bring Mckenna down is staggering from some posters and media outlets.

There's nothing like calling Gavin McKenna's skill-set not translatable while simultaneously pumping the breaks of a 5'9 C with average skating ability as a potential #1 overall pick.

There is literally not a single high end #1 C in the league who is 5'9 right now, let alone one who's 5'9 with mere average skating.

One of the most laughable threads I've ever seen on this site.

 

[Divine]

There's nothing like calling Gavin McKenna's skill-set not translatable while simultaneously pumping the breaks of a 5'9 C with average skating ability as a potential #1 overall pick.

There is literally not a single high end #1 C in the league who is 5'9 right now, let alone one who's 5'9 with mere average skating.

One of the most laughable threads I've ever seen on this site.

It's HfBoards though, not only is accountability not accepted, but punished. If McKenna thrives next year and Bjorck never makes the NHL and you go to quote someone in the thread you'll be infracted and banned from the thread.

These boards basically reward sensationalism because if the take is wrong, you pointing out it was a horrible take is called flaming/trolling.

 

[Divine]

Rankings before their draft:

McKenna:

Schaefer:

More people had Schaefer ranked #2 than McKenna. Revisionist history (and the Leafs winning the draft lottery) has people claiming McKenna is not a Schaefer level prospect.

 

[The Hanging Jowl]

Grading IQ on a linear scale is a bit of dead end conversation at the higher levels. Reading the play at high speed and finding your best lane quickly is not the same thing as reading the play and at the same time having an accurate picture of how your opponent is reading the same play, then deliberately making bad-looking choices that you know your opponent will bite on just to move them out of position and make a better play that didn’t exist on first read.

Crosby IQ is brought up as the modern gold standard but was there not always talk about him needing very specific types of wingers, and him making passes that were too smart for his teammates to do something with? Would the higher IQ thing not be tailoring your playmaking to best fit the level your linemates think at, or control the pace to move them where you need them to be for the too-smart-for-grinders passes? Would McDavid not be more dangerous if he wasn’t always at top speed and looking for the highest % danger area but constantly shifted gears and sometimes moved pucks to unexpected 2nd 3rd 4th most dangerous options to keep everyone off balance?

If McKenna isn’t just scanning for how to get the puck to the slot the fastest the second the puck is on his stick, but he’s running a mental model of what his opponents and teammates are thinking and just how much of a turnover carrot to dangle in front of a defender to get them to overcommit without putting the puck in real danger, that’s a completely different conversation than the Crosby comparison.

That probably comes with a lot more growing pains given its high risk and dependent on knowing exactly how fast, how aggressive/disciplined, what kind of reach, etc your opponents have so he can know exactly how much space and time he has to bait the pieces into moving around the board, but that’s a skillset you can build a specific and unique offense around vs a plug and play piece like McDavid or Crosby that’s just going to win their minutes regardless of what your system is doing.

"and him making passes that were too smart for his teammates to do something with"

I've only ever played with a couple of professional players (one AHL, one played in Europe somewhere). These guys just make it easy for you. If I would pass the puck anywhere within 20 feet of them they would vacuum it up yet they would put the puck on the tape of your stick every time. Now imagine how skilled an NHL player needs to be - even the worst NHL player wouldn't have a problem receiving a creative pass.

 

[The Hanging Jowl]

Even McDavid isn't worth that much. You're talking about a 1st overall + Knies on an insane contract + 1sts ?

1st overall alone would be fair value considering age/contracts

He's the best player in the world but he's only signed for 2 years, if it was McDavid extended then yes that would be the asking price

I agree but we are talking the Leafs here and they always seem to overpay. They gave 2 first rounders for Owen Nolan.

 

[fbuford]

There's nothing like calling Gavin McKenna's skill-set not translatable while simultaneously pumping the breaks of a 5'9 C with average skating ability as a potential #1 overall pick.

There is literally not a single high end #1 C in the league who is 5'9 right now, let alone one who's 5'9 with mere average skating.

One of the most laughable threads I've ever seen on this site.

When the game matters, McKenna disappears- during the world juniors, he disappeared during crunch time. Same in college, he was horrible in the playoffs.

He is clearly a very talented player, but, he doesn't see the game the same way as an elite play-off performer does.
I watched him play in college live, he refuses to go into the boards- into any physicality. When the game gets tough, he completely disappears.

Who would you rather have in the playoffs- Artemi Panarin or Brad Marchand?
Viggo Bjorck is a complete center, he has the best 200ft game in the draft.