![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-upper-deck-nhl-draft-top-prospects-media-availability-las-vegas-nevada-e1781403950735.jpg\")
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
The Toronto Maple Leafs should consider passing on Gavin McKenna and filling a major organizational need with this defenseman.<\/p>\n
The consensus is that the Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a> will take Gavin McKenna with the first-overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft<\/a>. Everything that has hit the wire suggests that will be the case. If anything, it would be an absolute shocker if Toronto didn\u2019t call McKenna\u2019s name on June 25.<\/p>\n But there could be a reason why the Maple Leafs might want to reconsider this pick. That reason is defenseman Chase Reid.<\/p>\n Now, before proceeding, it\u2019s worth pointing out that this discussion is a thought experiment looking at a clear organizational need for Toronto. That need is a number-one defenseman. Looking back, the Leafs have not had a true number-one D, probably since the days of Tomas Kaberle.<\/p>\n That was roughly 20 years ago. And it\u2019s been that lack of a high-end blueliner that has seemingly held the Maple Leafs back at times. That\u2019s why adding a blueliner like Chase Reid would completely change the dynamic of Toronto\u2019s blueline corps.<\/p>\n So, how good is Chase Reid?<\/p>\n Corey Pronman of The Athletic has Reid listed as the top prospect in the 2026 NHL Draft, even ahead of McKenna and Ivar Stenberg.<\/p>\n Pronman offers the following description of Reid<\/a>:<\/p>\n \u201cReid is a talented defenseman with a lot of offensive tools. He has the speed, hands, vision and shot to generate chances and be a leading scorer for an NHL team. Reid can create in transition and off the blue line with his feet and creativity, showing high-end improvisation skills. Reid isn\u2019t overly physical, but he works hard enough and makes plenty of stops due to his reach, feet and compete level even while playing an aggressive style of play offensively. He projects as a major minutes NHL defenseman who can run a first power play.\u201d<\/p>\n That sounds exactly like what the Maple Leafs need in a #1 D-man.<\/p>\n Maple Leafs Could Significantly Alter Their Path by Taking Reid<\/p>\n Taking Chase Reid would significantly alter the Maple Leafs\u2019 path. Instead of going for it now with an NHL-ready forward like McKenna<\/a>, Toronto would be thinking a few moves ahead. It\u2019s unclear whether Reid could jump into the NHL like Matthew Schaefer did this past season.<\/p>\n Schaefer managed to step into the NHL and truly shine even as an 18-year-old. So, could Reid do the same?<\/p>\n That\u2019s up for debate. The likeliest path would be for the Maple Leafs to let Reid run out his time in the NCAA, and then bring him up carefully into the AHL and NHL.<\/p>\n What to read next:<\/p>\n Reid Is a Long-Term Project<\/p>\n If the Maple Leafs were rebuilding, there would be no question that Chase Reid should be the top pick. The team wouldn\u2019t be in a rush to contend. So, it wouldn\u2019t matter if it took Reid two or even three seasons before reaching the NHL.<\/p>\n But that\u2019s just the thing. The Leafs aren\u2019t rebuilding. That\u2019s why the calculus points towards McKenna. If Reid were somehow NHL-ready at this point, he would be the guy. But he\u2019s committed to Michigan State next season.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why, in the grander scheme of things, as good as Reid could be, he just doesn\u2019t fit into the Maple Leafs\u2019 plans at this juncture.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tNestor Quixtan<\/a> Seasoned NHL and NFL analyst and baseball writer focused on covering clubs across each league with news, analysis, and insights. Originally from Toronto, Canada, Nestor’s singular experiences and background have enabled him to bring a different take on the sports world as a whole. Nestor’s fondness for baseball, football, and hockey set the tone for his love and passion for writing about sports. More about Nestor Quixtan<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Maple Leafs\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty The Toronto Maple Leafs should consider passing on Gavin McKenna and filling a major organizational need with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":735661,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[556],"tags":[64,63,575,85],"class_list":["post-735660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/735660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=735660"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/735660\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/735661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=735660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=735660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=735660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}