Ek's Note, Today's Picks...
Where Does Gavin McKenna Fit Next? And Why the Hockey World Thinks It’s Already Written…
With his college season now officially over, the spotlight shifts fully to the future for Gavin McKenna. And let’s be honest about this… the next time we see him step onto the ice in a meaningful game, there’s a very real chance it’s in an NHL jersey.
McKenna isn’t just another top prospect….he’s one of those rare, franchise-altering talents. The kind of player who doesn’t just join a team, he changes its trajectory. Elite vision, deceptive pace, and that quiet ability to control a game without forcing it.. That's why I headed up to Albany to see him and meet with him a little bit this past weekend so I can see what exactly he was all about on the ice and off…. There is an enormous “it” factor with this kid… he does feel incredibly young, and he definitely is going to fill out and you can tell it was not quite as big as some of the other players in college talking when it came to size. But when it comes to vision…forget about it. He's a joy to watch..
So naturally, the question becomes… where does he land?
Let’s walk through the possibilities.
Toronto Maple Leafs
This one is fascinating because if there was ever a way to replace Marner…
If McKenna somehow ends up in Toronto…. something they’ve flirted with for years but never fully stabilized.
The reality? Toronto isn’t likely to be bad enough to get him… but if they did, it would extend their window in a way few prospects could.
New Jersey Devils
This might be the cleanest hockey fit.
Imagine McKenna working into a structure already driven by speed and creativity alongside Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. The Devils don’t need a savior — they need another layer of elite skill to push them over the top.
McKenna here isn’t “the guy.” He’s the piece that makes everything unfair.
Florida Panthers
Florida has built an identity — heavy, relentless, structured chaos.
Dropping McKenna into that environment would be fascinating. He wouldn’t need to carry the physical load, but he’d benefit from it. Playing behind guys like Aleksander Barkov, he’d have time and space… and that’s dangerous.
The Panthers don’t usually pick high enough for this… but if they did, they’d be terrifying for a long time.
New York Rangers
Now we get to it…
From a pure hockey standpoint, the fit is obvious. The Rangers have long leaned on elite wingers and power play talent, but inserting McKenna into their top-six… would finally give them a dynamic, tempo-controlling centerpiece down the middle. He would change the identity of this team.
And here’s the thing… when you talk to people around the game — scouts, agents, even rival executives — there’s this quiet, almost unspoken assumption…
This is where he ends up. That’s just how the hockey Gods work…
Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver is a team that thrives on structure and star power at the top.
Adding McKenna to a group led by Elias Pettersson would give them something they haven’t consistently had — another true offensive driver who can dictate pace shift-to-shift.
This would be less about saving Vancouver… and more about pushing them into legitimate contender territory.
Chicago Blackhawks
This one feels almost unfair.
Pairing McKenna with Connor Bedard would instantly give Chicago the most dangerous young core in hockey. Two elite, creative minds who can both control and finish plays.
Rebuild? Over.
Acceleration? Immediate.
Calgary Flames
Calgary might be the team that needs him the most.
They’ve been searching for identity, direction, and a true centerpiece. McKenna would instantly become that. He’d be the player everything revolves around — marketing, system, rebuild timeline… all of it.
This would be a reset button in the best possible way.
So Where Does He Actually Go?
Here’s where the logic meets the reality…
On paper, teams like Chicago or Calgary make the most sense. They’re positioned, they need him, and they could build around him immediately. But hockey doesn’t always follow the cleanest script. And anyone who has followed this league long enough knows where this is going.. Sometimes… the ending feels written before the story even begins.
Gavin McKenna ends up with the New York Rangers.
Not a fixed conspiracy theory by Gary Bettman. I'm not buying that part at all…. But I've been around long enough to know the Hockey gods that I know how they think. The hockey gods putting McKenna, who is literally from a small town, the middle of nowhere in the north of Canada….into New York (friggin) City. Such a great plot point such a great twist….. we'll see…