{"id":758537,"date":"2026-06-24T18:14:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T18:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/758537\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T18:14:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T18:14:10","slug":"maple-leafs-2026-nhl-draft-preview-who-will-they-take-with-the-no-1-pick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/758537\/","title":{"rendered":"Maple Leafs 2026 NHL Draft preview: Who will they take with the No. 1 pick?"},"content":{"rendered":"

TORONTO \u2014 Last time we attended a hockey game in Toronto, we spotted a fan wearing a white T-shirt emblazoned with an enlarged screen grab of Mats Sundin\u2019s Cheshire grin \u2014\u00a0that insta-iconic image<\/a>\u00a0Leafs Nation now associates with their stunning 2026 NHL Draft Lottery victory. The magic 12 ball.<\/p>\n

The time before that, we saw a Maple Leafs fan in the lower bowl of Scotiabank Arena proudly sporting a blue-and-white No. 72 sweater. And this is when the local team was spiraling down the toilet.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hope<\/a>\u00a0is back, in a big way.<\/p>\n

A new coach. A new plan.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A new GM, one aggressively pulling the trigger on trades.<\/p>\n

\"WatchWatch the 2026 NHL Draft on Sportsnet<\/p>\n

The Toronto Maple Leafs hold the No. 1 pick as the next group of NHL stars gets set to enter the league. Live NHL Draft coverage begins with the first round on Friday followed by Rounds 2-7 on Saturday. Catch it all on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.<\/p>\n

Broadcast schedule<\/a><\/p>\n

A shiny new defenceman with a cannon from the point.<\/p>\n

And, most encouraging of all, a teenage phenom to lead the next wave.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe probability is we take the pick, just realistically,\u201d GM John Chayka says of Friday\u2019s Number 1 slot. \u201cWe have had discussions (about trading it); we\u2019ll continue to have discussions. Obviously, everything\u2019s for sale at the right price. To date, there\u2019s nothing compelling that we\u2019re seriously considering. But there\u2019s still time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chayka and Sundin believe there is still time to rejig and reset 2025-26\u2019s most disappointing roster around cornerstones Auston Matthews and Willaim Nylander, and they will be aggressive in doing so.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Armed with four picks in the draft\u2019s first three rounds, including the best one of all, and determined to deal, Chayka\u2019s Leafs won\u2019t look the same shuffling out of Buffalo as they do heading in.<\/p>\n

Buckle up for a big weekend in the Nation.<\/p>\n

Potential Round 1 options<\/p>\n

Gavin McKenna, LW, 5-foot-11, 170 pounds, Penn Sate<\/p>\n

It\u2019s gotta be the kid from Whitehorse, doesn\u2019t it? The Canadian playmaker with the highest offensive ceiling. The winger who instantly becomes a candidate to slide onto PP1 and Matthews\u2019 top line and begin to replace some of what was lost when Mitch Marner walked. The guy who recently posted a photo reel<\/a> on\u00a0Instagram\u00a0to the sounds of Toronto icon Drake\u2019s \u201cShabang<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe brain and the talent is evident. Just the instincts and his raw ability, I think, are interesting,\u201d Chayka says. \u201cAnd the quality of the family, the quality of the people, how much family means to him. His roots, how important it is for him to give back to his community that\u2019s given him so much. Those are all really interesting things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Interest is mutual. McKenna tested off the charts at last month\u2019s NHL Combine, where he told reporters it would be an honour to wear the Maple Leaf.<\/p>\n

\u201cGoing to a Canadian market would be pretty special. The situation the Leafs are in right now, it\u2019s pretty crazy they got the first-overall pick,\u201d McKenna said. \u201cTheir team is probably going to be fighting for the playoffs next year. I\u2019d be pretty fortunate to go there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ivar Stenberg, LW, 5-foot-11, 183 pounds, Frolunda<\/p>\n

Sundin kept a close eye on the impressive, two-way Swedish winger at the world championships, and most prospect experts agree that Stenberg is more defensively responsible and NHL-ready today than the more creative McKenna. He\u2019s already playing pro.<\/p>\n

Our Jason Bukula \u2014 about as dialed-in a scout you\u2019ll find \u2014 still has the sturdy gold-medal-winning world junior star\u00a0ranked No. 1<\/a>, ahead of McKenna.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a smart, competitive player. He had an amazing worlds,\u201d says Chayka, who interviewed Stenberg at the Combine. \u201cReal high-quality person, high-quality player. Really fond of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keaton Verhoeff, RD, 6-foot-4, 208 pounds, North Dakota<\/p>\n

We\u2019re looking a trade-down scenario here, which feels like a long shot. But the Maple Leafs love the maturity of Verhoeff\u2019s game \u2014 and his size.<\/p>\n

Toronto was one of 18 teams that met with the six-foot-four, 215-pound, right-shot defenceman in advance of Friday\u2019s draft.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was cool seeing them and meeting them,\u201d Verhoeff says. \u201cThe type of organization they have, and all the history they have, it was cool to get in the meeting room with them and talk.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a late second-round draft choice, Koblar took some promising strides in 2025-26. The Maple Leafs might have one here.<\/p>\n

The son of two national-team athletes jumped from Leksands IF\u2019s junior club to its Swedish League pro squad and put up 14 points in his first 47 games against grownups. Not bad for an 18-year-old.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But it was Koblar\u2019s performance in May\u2019s world championships that really turned heads.<\/p>\n

The six-foot-three, 194-pound forward erupted with five goals and five assists in five games, helping power Norway to a bronze medal victory over Canada, the country\u2019s best-ever result in the tournament.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Naturally, Koblar signed his entry-level contract with the Leafs shortly thereafter.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are the types of picks that are super helpful as you\u2019re building out an organization. I think the team did a great job getting him where they got them,\u201d Chayka says.<\/p>\n

\u201cVery smart player. Showed very well at the world championships. Very good prospect. I think the development staff is doing a really good job working with him, rounding out his game. But certainly a guy we think has lots of upside.\u201d<\/p>\n

One bold prediction: Trades, trades, trades<\/p>\n

Chayka is not content with shedding only Joseph Woll and Simon Benoit. He is determined to remodel his blue line and has also been linked to pending UFA goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and the St. Louis Blues\u2019 Jordan Binnington.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be surprised to see multiple transactions involving Toronto this week.<\/p>\n

Morgan Rielly is starting with a list of four Western Conference destinations he\u2019d consider moving to. There will be conversations around Jake McCabe and Brandon Carlo and possibly Oliver Ekman-Larsson as well.<\/p>\n

Half the Leafs blue line could be overturned as Chayka seeks youth and mobility.<\/p>\n