The Leafs don’t need McKenna — they need a defenseman.
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. The Toronto Maple Leafs hold the first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. And everyone assumes they know what happens next: Gavin McKenna. But should it really be that simple?
Toronto has spent the last decade going all in on offensive talent. Matthews. Nylander. Marner. Tavares. The most skilled core in franchise history — maybe in the entire league. And what did it get them? Years of first-round exits. Heartbreak after heartbreak. A fanbase that has learned to expect the worst when it matters most.
Gavin McKenna is not the answer
So here’s a question nobody in Toronto seems to want to ask out loud: what if the answer isn’t another generational forward — even one as talented as McKenna?
The 2026 draft class has two defensemen who are genuinely special. Chase Reid — 6’2″, right-handed, compared to both Adam Fox and Cale Makar by scouts — put up 48 points in 45 OHL games this season and was one of the most dominant offensive defensemen in recent draft memory. The Athletic’s Corey Pronman has him ranked first overall. Not first among defensemen. First overall.
Keaton Verhoeff one possibility
Then there’s Keaton Verhoeff. Also right-handed. 6’3″. Playing against NCAA men at 17 years old and leading all freshman defensemen in points. Compared to Alex Pietrangelo by one veteran NHL scout. The kind of two-way shutdown presence Toronto has been missing from their blue line for years.
A franchise defenseman — a real one, not a rental, not a patchwork fix — changes everything. You build around him for 10, 15 years. He solves problems that no amount of skill up front can solve.
Have to get it right
But here’s where it gets really interesting. Toronto picks first. Vancouver picks third. And Daniel Sedin has already gone on record saying McKenna or Stenberg “stands out” for the Canucks. What if Toronto called Vancouver right now? Trade down from first to third. Let the Canucks have their guy. And in return, load up on assets — picks, prospects, whatever it takes — while still landing Reid or Verhoeff at three.
It’s unconventional. It’s the kind of move that would send shockwaves through draft night in Buffalo. It’s also exactly the kind of thinking that might finally break the Leafs’ cycle. More skill at forward isn’t the answer. Toronto has tried that. The blue line is where championships are built — and this draft has two of the best defensive prospects in years sitting right there for the taking.
The question is whether Toronto has the courage to think differently.
They have one pick to get this right.
