The Athletic takes a stance on Maple Leafs' decision to draft Gavin McKenna or not
The Athletic takes a stance on Maple Leafs' decision to draft Gavin McKenna or not originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Toronto Maple Leafs have a decision to make.
That's what happens when you get the No. 1 overall pick in the NHL Draft through the lottery -- everyone in the draft class is there to choose from.
That of course includes Gavin McKenna, the Canadian phenom who spent this past season in the NCAA ranks at Penn State.
McKenna is the favorite, but there are other choices, and that's where the Maple Leafs will spend the time between now and the draft.
Is there anyone they actually should choose over McKenna? That's the big question.
The Athletic's Corey Pronman , in a new mock draft, thinks the answer is no.
"McKenna is the consensus favorite for the top spot right now, though we’re still early enough in the process that it’s not a done deal yet," Pronman writes. "There are camps in the scouting world that have other preferences, be it a particular defenseman, Ivar Stenberg, or Caleb Malhotra. It’s hard to see the Maple Leafs passing on his dynamic skill and vision at No. 1 as it currently stands."
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For what it's worth, Pronman then has the San Jose Sharks taking defenseman Chase Reid with the second pick before the Canucks get Malhotra and the Blackhawks get Sternberg with the following two selections.
A lot can change between now and the draft, including the fact that Toronto's phones will surely get plenty of calls about the possibilities of another team moving up into that top spot.
Most likely, the Maple Leafs will cherish their good fortune and snag McKenna in the hopes that the young Canadian star can be a face of their franchise for the next decade.
