Auston Matthews is about to get the one thing he's needed since Mitch Marner left

Auston Matthews will be one happy camper on Friday as the Maple Leafs select first overall because with Gavin McKenna coming it, it gives him everything he needs.

As the days tick away until the 2026 NHL Draft, the anticipation is growing for Toronto Maple Leafs fans as the team holds the first overall pick. With all signs pointing to Gavin McKenna, they will get a generational talent with insane potential and marketability, but there is always a chance the team goes a different direction.

Odds are they don't given how much time and money has been invested already in the top prospect, and we're all just waiting until Friday night for the team to make that selection and bring in McKenna as one of the new faces of the franchise for the next decade-plus.

Auston Matthews has to be the happiest kid in the candy store with Gavin McKenna's arrival

But while the Maple Leafs overall get a lot more exciting, and the fanbase finally have a lot of hope that things are turning around, the one person who needs to be most excited for McKenna's arrival is none other than his future captain; Auston Matthews.

Matthews is a player who is coming in with a lot of pressure given that he hasn't been that goal-scoring phenom we expected, and with knee surgery and recovery playing a part in how he'll respond, we can only hope for the best.

But bringing in McKenna will give Matthews that playmaker he's needed since Mitch Marner left last summer. A lot of the heavy lifting was done by Matthews himself, and it didn't help that Craig Berube neutered his offensive side for the sake of having a better two-way presence on the ice.

The fact that he did that to a former 69-goal scorer is bizarre, and there is a lot of hope that new head coach Jim Hiller can once again unlock the captain's offensive side and bring fans back to a time where it was exciting and fun to watch Maple Leafs hockey.

Mitch Marner's departure hurt for one year, but Gavin McKenna is going to heal any lingering wounds

Matthews calling McKenna's name is going to be oh so sweet, and the fact that we're only a few days away is pretty exciting. But what's most exciting is seeing how McKenna is going to use his creativity with the captain.

It's likely the two will share the same line, and if McKenna can get himself in a rhythm during the preseason and start to build some chemistry right away, then that can translate into the beginning of the season and therefore a hot start.

A hot start they are going to need too, as reports indicated that Matthews wouldn't be too happy if the team got off on the slow side of things, so McKenna coming in and having that chemistry sooner than later will be critical - another added bit of pressure for the rookie.

But let's be honest, Toronto needed Marner whether we want to admit it. He was an offensive catalyst, an elite defender, and someone who carried the team on his back when Matthews was out in 2024-25.

Losing him created a big gap in the lineup that hasn't been filled since. The team tried a rotation of players but nothing really stuck - Matthews needs that play-driver.

So enter Gavin McKenna, the next star of the Maple Leafs and perhaps the saving grace for Toronto's captain to be a dominant force once again.

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