The Toronto Maple Leafs stunned the NHL world when they won the 2026 NHL Draft lottery, and after zero speculation to the contrary, the team selected Penn State superstar Gavin McKenna with the No. 1 overall pick.
Wherever he plays in the lineup in his rookie campaign, McKenna is expected to hit the ground running in the NHL, and with players like William Nylander, Auston Matthews and John Tavares around him, the support pieces are there for him to have an immediate impact. As a result, the team got rather aggressive in free agency, and after adding Jack Roslovic, Sergei Bobrovsky and others, many believe they could bounce back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2026/27.
Gavin McKenna Reveals he Won’t Wear No. 72 in the NHL
GettyGavin McKenna of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The latter signing gives the Maple Leafs the best goaltender they’ve had in quite some time, and although Bobrovsky had a down year in 2025/26, after leading the Florida Panthers to back-to-back Stanley Cups, he’s still clearly one of the best net minders in the NHL.
His arrival has a serious impact on Toronto’s outlook heading into 2026, but according to their No. 1 overall pick, it impacts him in another way. At development camp, McKenna was asked if he would wear No. 72, the number he’s worn in both Medicine Hat and Penn State at the NHL level, and according to him, he won’t do that, deferring instead to Bobrovksy to allow him to keep the number.
In any normal circumstance, a rookie would not be given the preference over a veteran, but given the status of McKenna as a potentially generational player, many believed he would have the choice. That choice hasn’t yet been made, and while there’s a chance Bobrovsky himself defers to the No. 1 overall pick and allows him to have the number, right now all signs point to the talented winger having to change things up.
Could McKenna Wear the No. 16 in Toronto?
As of right now, there’s no indicators to what McKenna would go with, but on social media, some have suggested that he take the No. 16, worn by the now Vegas Golden Knights winger Mitch Marner across his heavily scrutinized career with the Maple Leafs.
Would it be petty? Of course. Should McKenna want to create this talk unnecessarily over anything but his play on the ice? Likely not. Would it be a move that most Maple Leafs fans would love? Absolutely.
However, it’s highly unlikely that’s the route the No. 1 overall pick would want to go, as he wants to stand on his own in the NHL and would prefer to create his own identity and legacy with the Maple Leafs moving forward. Whichever way it goes, it’s now more likely than not that McKenna will be wearing a new number when he makes his debut for the Maple Leafs, and whatever he chooses, it’s going to be one of the best selling jerseys in the league this season.
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