Maple Leafs' 1st overall pick buzz gives latest insight into Gavin McKenna

It's going to be a decision that won't allow for full judgment until a decade or so has passed, but it's still a pivotal choice for the Toronto Maple Leafs next month.

They won the No. 1 overall pick in the NHL Draft lottery. Soon, they'll have to pick the player they want. Will it be Gavin McKenna?

McKenna has been assumed as the top pick for more than a year, dating to his time with the Medicine Hat Tigers in the Western Hockey League.

He spent this past season at Penn State in the NCAA ranks, getting off to a bit of a slow start but eventually finding an impressive groove.

Now, McKenna is in the draft, and everyone is wondering whether he could fall out of that top spot after holding it down so solidly for the past couple years.

Could he fall? Yes. Will he? That's less certain.

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The Athletic's Scott Wheeler, in a new mock draft on Tuesday, still has McKenna as the top pick.

"I don't think it's a foregone conclusion that McKenna is the pick for the Leafs," Wheeler begins his blurb. "There is some doubt out there about him, and there's a case to be made to prioritize a longtime organizational need on D. But there's risk in chasing a premium position at the expense of a premium talent, and I still expect that the Leafs will land on McKenna in the end."

Given that the Maple Leafs are coming off a brutal season, and may have a bunch of personnel moves to make this offseason, it's risky to chase after need versus taking the player they think is the best available.

If they believe McKenna is the best player in the draft, he should probably be their pick.

And at least based on what Wheeler expects, the Leafs are currently leaning in that direction.

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