Maple Leafs to Select First Overall
The Toronto Maple Leafs are set to make the first overall selection in the upcoming NHL Draft in Buffalo on Friday night. This marks a familiar starting point for the team, as they previously selected Auston Matthews with the first pick in the same arena a decade ago. The Maple Leafs are currently in a period of transition, with a new front office and coach, and are working to rebuild their core group after finishing last in the Atlantic Division. This past season was the first time they missed the playoffs with Matthews on the roster.
Gavin McKenna, an 18-year-old winger, is widely projected as the top pick. He recently gave Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager John Chayka a tour of his hometown in Whitehorse, Yukon. Chayka indicated that the front office reached a unanimous decision on their selection, though he did not reveal the player’s name. McKenna’s path to Toronto appears to be largely settled, with his dynamic stickhandling and freshman scoring placing him among top prospects.
McKenna’s talent is expected to be a significant asset for the Maple Leafs, particularly with the absence of their primary play-driver, Mitch Marner. His visionary passing and ability to manipulate space are considered unique within this draft class, potentially offering Toronto a strong option to pair with Auston Matthews. McKenna concluded his freshman season with 32 points in his final 17 games, tying for fourth in the nation with 51 points.
Uncertainty in Top Five Selections
Despite the strong projection for McKenna, there is considerable uncertainty surrounding the rest of the top five picks in this draft class. The class is noted for being light on centres and strong on defencemen, leading to varied opinions among NHL executives regarding the early selections. San Jose Sharks General Manager Mike Grier, whose team holds the second and ninth picks, noted the unpredictability, stating that “everyone’s board is going to be drastically different.”
Among the other top prospects are Swedish left winger Ivar Stenberg, centre Caleb Malhotra, and several defencemen including Latvia’s Alberts Smits, North Dakota’s Keaton Verhoeff, and Chase Reid, who is the top-ranked U.S.-born prospect. Stenberg’s performance in the SHL, with 33 points in 44 games, ranks as the third-highest for a draft-age player in the league’s history, behind only Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin.
The Vancouver Canucks, picking third, present an interesting scenario with the possibility of selecting Caleb Malhotra. His father, 991-game NHL veteran Manny Malhotra, was recently hired as the 23rd head coach in Canucks history. The younger Malhotra demonstrated a reliable two-way impact from the centre position, achieving 84 points in 67 games this season, alongside a 50.1 faceoff percentage and an expected goals-against average more than eight percent lower than his team’s average.
The Buffalo Sabres hold the fourth pick, followed by the New York Rangers at fifth. Chase Reid, an explosive play-driver, has emerged as a leading defenceman prospect. He commanded attention with strong skating and heads-up playmaking, seamlessly filling in for Cole Hutson after an injury at the 2026 World Junior Championship. Reid’s development path includes Michigan State University, and he is seen as a top-pair and power-play prospect.
The New York Rangers are seeking a long-term solution on the left side of their blue line and may find it in Alberts Smits. Smits spent his draft year playing men’s hockey as an 18-year-old, logging significant minutes for Jukurit in Finland’s Liiga. He also contributed six points in 11 playoff games during a late-season loan to Red Bull München in the German DEL. Smits was the only 2026-eligible skater at the Milano Cortina Olympics, where he played for Latvia.
Potential for Trades to Alter Draft Order
The draft order could be further altered by potential trades. The Sabres have already made a move, acquiring the fourth pick by trading defenceman Bo Byram to Chicago earlier this week. The ninth pick has changed hands three times in the past week, moving from Florida to Ottawa before being acquired by San Jose. Mike Grier of the Sharks has not ruled out trading the second pick and has received “a couple of legitimate offers.”
John Chayka of the Maple Leafs has also indicated a push to acquire another top-five selection. The amount of activity involving high draft picks is notable, as top-five selections have rarely changed hands since the 2004-05 NHL lockout, with only one such trade occurring after the selection order was revealed. This level of trade activity has added an element of excitement for prospects like McKenna.
While the Maple Leafs prepare for the draft, their organization recently celebrated a championship victory. Members of the Toronto Marlies, the Maple Leafs’ AHL affiliate, celebrated their Calder Cup win on Monday. The Marlies defeated the Chicago Wolves 4-3 to secure the series in five games, marking the franchise’s second Calder Cup win. Marlies goaltender Artur Akhtyamov, a fourth-round pick in the 2020 draft, made 27 saves in the Game 5 victory and was named the playoffs’ MVP, receiving the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy.
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Source: prohockeyrumors.com
