Experts cannot agree on what Gavin McKenna will become in the NHL

Gavin McKenna is the presumed top overall pick however some experts believe that his ceiling isn't as high as anticipated and could be great, not elite.

McKenna is undoubtedly a player with immense talent and the Maple Leafs are the lucky team who get the first crack at him should they choose to draft him. He'd no doubt bring a dynamic level of offence to the lineup, not to mention incredible marketability.

But some experts think his ceiling isn't as high as anticipated and could be more akin to Artemi Panarin's.

McKenna is absolutely the type of player who is going to create a lot of buzz when he steps onto the ice and he projects to be an incredible playmaker with elite vision and a knack for always being able to find his teammates wherever they may be.

After combined 310 points over his last three-and-a-half seasons with the WHL, NCAA and World Juniors, there's no denying there's a lot of excitement and hope that he's the one who can turn the Maple Leafs franchise around.

McKenna projects to be more like Panarin, not Kucherov according to one anonymous expert

But for some experts and analysts they aren't convinced just yet, and one believes that McKenna's hype is a more than his projected ceiling which to them is more akin to very good - not generational.

One anonymous expert told The Athletic that the celling for McKenna is actually more like Artemi Panarin's, and believes that while he'll be good, he's going to bounce around the league without finding real success:

He's like Artemi Panarin. He'll get his accolades, but he'll also be on three to four teams and never make real noise in the playoffs.

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Nothing to take away from Panarin who has 954 points in 830 games in his career, but he also hasn't won anything beyond a Calder Trophy for Rookie of the Year and has played for four different teams so far in his career.

Gavin McKenna hasn't even played a single second in the NHL so we should probably wait before we judge

There's nothing to say he can't win the big one before his career is over, but he's already 34 years old and not going to get any younger so if that's the projection for McKenna, that's a bit scary.

However we shouldn't be too concerned, given that's just one opinion out of hundreds that have said the opposite. We shouldn't exactly think of McKenna as the next Gretzky but we should at least be open to the fact that he is an incredibly talented player.

If his ceiling actually projects to what others think which is Nikita Kucherov or Patrick Kane, then you have almost a guaranteed Hall of Famer who will end up winning multiple titles and be a huge part in doing so.

But come on, he hasn't touched the ice yet. He could completely dominate the entire league from the first shift, or it could take him a few games to get used to things. We should reserve judgement until we see him play though that's not going to stop the speculation any.

Even if McKenna becomes Panarin, that's a player who is destined for over 1,000 career points, and a long career. It's not just up to him whether he wins a Stanley Cup, and he's gotta get some help from the other Maple Leafs as well.

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