Who will be tanking for Gavin McKenna in 2025-2026?

[Coffey]

At least he has a normal name and isn't a Connor.

 

[Bjorn Le]

Today I learned me not calling a 16 year old prospect “special” is hating on him.

Nice to know.

Angelo Esposito had a similar output as a 16 year old (. Anything is possible. I don’t think he’s going first overall, simple as that. I’m sorry if that offends you. Maybe you need a break from the internet for a day because you can’t seem to grasp not everyone shares the same opinion as you.

Esposito put up those numbers on an absolutely stacked Quebec Ramparts team where Radulov scored more than 150 points. Comparatively, McKenna was the highest scoring player on Medicine Hat when he played half the season at 15 (Esposito, by contrast, was a February birthday). In hindsight, it's no surprise that Esposito took a big step back when Radulov left.

McKenna might end up not being a Bedard-like prospect, but he's definitely a MacKinnon-level talent already. That's a special player to most people.

 

[Bobieque]

After lose for Hughes and fail for Nail, I'm having a hard time coming up with a pun for McKenna.

You read (heard) it here first:

“Play Ca-Ca for McKenna”

(tm) Bobieque

 

[ReimanSum1908]

After lose for Hughes and fail for Nail, I'm having a hard time coming up with a pun for McKenna.

"No winnah for McKenna(h)," best delivered with a Bostonian accent...

... I'll leave now.

 

[LeProspector]

Okey so is this just a guessing game, or do we actually evaluate prospects by what we see?

It's possible (though unlikely) that he falls apart in the next two years, or some other talent comes out of nowhere. But right now there is not a single evidence that would hint to that. So to say he's not a special talent is just trying to be edgy/different.

By all means tell us what you think is wrong in his game and post the 4 players that will get drafted ahead of him.

I’m not a fan of his skating, he isn’t a burner and at times he struggles against defences that are focusing on him with physicality.

It’ll come as he matures but I’m not sold he is special. He is fantastic, but isn’t at the level of McDavid/Bedard/Crosby. That’s who I think of when I hear the word special. Not Gavin McKenna.

 

[AKL]

The 2003-04 Capitals weren't planning on Alex Ovechkin or Evgeni Malkin in July of 2003. They had just made the playoffs and picked at 18 in 2003, so I don't think their focus was on the 2004 Draft

I think the point is that that's not a "tank", they were just bad. Unintentional tanking is an oxymoron because tanking by its definition has intention behind it.

 

[Hockeyville USA]

I’m not a fan of his skating, he isn’t a burner and at times he struggles against defences that are focusing on him with physicality.

It’ll come as he matures but I’m not sold he is special. He is fantastic, but isn’t at the level of McDavid/Bedard/Crosby. That’s who I think of when I hear the word special. Not Gavin McKenna.

He's a better top end skater than Bedard

I think the point is that that's not a "tank", they were just bad. Unintentional tanking is an oxymoron because tanking by its definition has intention behind it.

That means unintentional tank though. They had no plans on tanking before the season, were bad, and then sold off assets like Jagr and Michael Nylander in order to get worse. It wasn't an all out planned tank like the 2022-23 Chicago Blackhawks were. The 2007-08 and 2008-09 Tampa Bay Lightning were unintentional tanks: they fell off a cliff in 2007-08 when they weren't trying to be bad, and in 2008-09, they added pieces in UFA to surround Stamkos, trying to get better and it didn't work out, so they were bad again.

 

[Juxtaposer]

Calgary, Pittsburgh, Washington, NYI, and St. Louis come to mind as possibilities. I think the cohort of SJ/Chicago/Anaheim/Columbus will be picking in the 6-12 range by that point, though you never know.

 

[TageGod]

Anaheim is my bet.

 

[westc2]

Hopefully the Blues. They've only had 2 top 5 draft picks in the last 44 years.

Erik Johnson #1 OA - 2006
Alex Pietrangelo #4 OA - 2008

 

[SomeDude]

The 2003-04 Capitals weren't planning on Alex Ovechkin or Evgeni Malkin in July of 2003. They had just made the playoffs and picked at 18 in 2003, so I don't think their focus was on the 2004 Draft

As soon as they realized they sucked they went all aboard the tank train. Calling up ECHL goalies and whatnot.

 

[Hexy]

After lose for Hughes and fail for Nail, I'm having a hard time coming up with a pun for McKenna.

Endless dilemma for McKenna

 

[NotAVacuumSalesman]

After lose for Hughes and fail for Nail, I'm having a hard time coming up with a pun for McKenna.

Packin’ it in for Gavin.

 

[EddieTheEagle]

 

[Hockeyville USA]

View attachment 891864

I bet a lot of people would switch that Blackhawks jersey with a Penguins jersey

 

[SnowblindNYR]

After lose for Hughes and fail for Nail, I'm having a hard time coming up with a pun for McKenna.

Neither of those two things are a pun.

 

[Reality Czech]

Neither of those two things are a pun.

You're right, sorry professor. I tried to think of an actual pun with Gavin McKenna but I'm still coming up empty.

Packin’ it in for Gavin.

I like it!

Endless dilemma for McKenna

Well done, sir.

 

[PaulD]

Fall for Hall
Quit winnin' for MacKinnon
Fall hard for Bedard

lose for Matthews

 

[Dr Salt]

The Battle of Alberta being the battle of the Mcs seems like something the script writers would cook up. I also wouldn't be surprised if Chicago are still legitimately in the thick of being able to jump and get him.

 

[Tuggy]

Timeline works out nicely for Pittsburgh I think.

 

[HockeyVirus]

Buffalo probably

 

[Anglesmith]

Fall for Hall
Quit winnin' for MacKinnon
Fall hard for Bedard

[Redacted] weenie for Celebrini.

Gavin McKenna is tough...

Play like you just got off a trans-Atlantic flight after a two week vacation in Europe that honestly was more work than just staying home because of the kids basically never sleeping and throwing tantrums at every opportunity but hey at least you got to see Vienna.... for McKenna?

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

He's gonna be a Penguin

 

[rahad]

sadly, is going to be Pittsburgh. The golden trio will probably be out of Pitts by the summer of 2025 and they start rebuild the team with another franchise player like Gavin...

 

[Boyon90]

Pittsburgh

as long as crosby is there, its simply impossible