BUFFALO — The Toronto Maple Leafs interviewed 65-plus players of the 90 invited to the NHL Scouting Combine this week.
Additionally, Toronto general manager John Chayka visited Penn State left wing Gavin McKenna and his family at his home in Whitehorse, Yukon, prior to the six-day event.
It made sense considering Chayka has a big decision to make having the No. 1 selection in the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft after the club won the NHL Draft Lottery on May 5.
McKenna (5-foot-11, 170 pounds) is the projected No. 1 pick in the draft to be held June 26-27 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. The first round will be June 26 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) and rounds 2-7 on June 27 (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN).
Chayka was hired May 3, along with senior executive adviser, hockey operations Mats Sundin, following the firing of general manager Brad Treliving on March 30.
“It’s not every day you get a chance to make the first overall selection and to do in a market like Toronto with obviously the tradition, and the history and the expectation of excellence, makes it really unique,” Chayka said. “He’s a small-town kid … It’s a remote area of the world, very peaceful, but beautiful. And within that, I think there’s some real resolve around who he is and what his career means to him and his family, and I find it impressive.”
Here are 10 things learned from the 2026 NHL Scouting Combine: