After a decade of sustained success in the regular season, 2025/26 was a down year for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but with superstars all over their roster, the hope was that they could bounce back in 2026/27.
Only time will tell if that happens, but coming into this off-season, major change was expected, and with a new General Manager and new Head Coach put in place, the changes and upgrades keep on coming. The biggest upgrade of all came via Toronto’s incredible lottery luck, with the team landing the No. 1 overall pick and the right to draft Gavin McKenna out of Medicine Hat/Penn State, and on June 26th, they did just that.
Gavin McKenna the Latest Star in Toronto
GettyGavin McKenna of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
From that moment, Maple Leafs fans were ecstatic about their newest star, and while there’s no guarantees about how he’ll play in the National Hockey League, given the tools at his disposal and the pre-draft production, it’s easy to see why the team are so excited.
While he may not start as the Maple Leafs top-line winger, it’s a matter of when, not if he becomes key linemates with captain Auston Matthews, and after Mitch Marner’s departure, fans are thrilled to have another potential star winger to cheer on for years to come. Coming into the draft, it was no secret where Toronto were going with the No. 1 overall pick, and at the draft, there were plenty of fans already rocking McKenna jerseys, showing how popular he already is.
Gavin McKenna Explains Number Change
For those wearing #72 McKenna jerseys however, they may need to make a change or get a refund, as the team went on to sign goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, and as a rookie, McKenna deferred to the veteran, allowing him to keep the No. 72. That led to plenty of questions about McKenna’s next number, and on Saturday, he confirmed that in the NHL, he will wear No. 92, a number he’s never worn before.
After the announcement, McKenna explained the change, and given that none of No. 9, 27 or 72 were available, he chose the No. 92 to combine some of his former numbers, two of which are hanging in the rafters in Toronto.
“I’m going to go number 92. I said that 9 and 27 are up in the rafters and wanted to have a little bit of both in there. So 92, 9 replacing the 7,” said McKenna.
While numbers usually aren’t a big talking point for rookies, given the hype for McKenna and how synonymous he became with No. 72, the number he wore with both Medicine Hat and Penn State, it’s a change that may effect many fans that bought his jersey before he was drafted. Ultimately, this won’t have any effect on how things play out for McKenna in Toronto, but now that this has been decided upon, he can go into training camp and the regular season focused on making his mark immediately at the National Hockey League level.
Gavin McKenna Explains Major Change After Signing Maple Leafs Contract