Gavin McKenna has quickly shown that he understands how unusual his situation is as the first-overall pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"It's pretty common that players who get drafted first overall go to a tanking team, and that's not the case for me. I know I've gotten lucky."
The Toronto Maple Leafs have made the playoffs nine of the last 10 years, with last season being the first time they have missed the playoffs in a decade.
McKenna could not have had better luck with the Toronto Maple Leafs winning the draft lottery.
Toronto has luxuries very few other teams drafting first overall have: established superstars already on the roster in William Nylander and Captain Auston Matthews.
McKenna will face expectations early in Toronto, but he will not be expected to be the main driver of offense next season.
He also comes into a situation that puts him in a healthy environment.
Gavin McKenna will not have to carry the Maple Leafs by himself
The Toronto Maple Leafs' current situation is all in.
They have spent to the salary cap limit; they made an abundance of moves to improve the roster in the offseason, and have established stars and veterans on the roster ready to compete.
The Maple Leafs missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade and won the No. 1 overall pick.
In January, the Maple Leafs were in a wild-card spot despite ending the season with the fifth-worst record but have since added the best prospect in hockey with their draft pick.
Comparing that to recent teams like the New York Islanders, San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks, it is a night-and-day difference.
The Leafs have a former league MVP and 69-goal scorer, Auston Matthews; a superstar winger William Nylander; one of the best power forwards in the NHL, Matthew Knies; and a future Hall of Famer John Tavares.
McKenna enters a situation where there is a possibility that he plays on the top line with Matthews because of his playmaking ability.
Growing pains are, of course, to be expected from the rookie, but Toronto has enough established talent and does not need him to carry the load.
But the talent on the team can also elevate his game playing with established veterans.
Toronto can make McKenna earn responsibility instead of handing it to him
The Maple Leafs have an entirely new coaching staff and made a significant overhaul of the front office over the offseason.
New general manager John Chayka then conducted a re-tool of a lifetime, making an incredible number of trades and additions through free agency.
While keeping the core of the team the same, they have completely rebuilt the bottom six and made significant additions in goaltending with Sergei Bobrovsky, in the defense core with Darren Raddysh and Emil Andrae, and added top-end talent in McKenna.
The Maple Leafs have both of their first-round picks in 2028 and 2029 traded away unprotected; that means they have no reason to continue to tank, and that is why they are aiming to compete.
There are a ton of moving parts when it comes to this team this offseason in terms of both player movements, front office personnel changes, and coaching changes, but they already have an established baseline when it comes to having players like Matthews, Nylander, Tavares, Knies, and Raddysh who have some pedigree to their names.
McKenna can still raise Toronto's ceiling immediately, but the real advantage is that the Maple Leafs do not need him to rescue the organization on day 1. They can let him earn a larger role while Matthews, Nylander and the veteran core continue carrying the heaviest expectations.
Which line will Gavin McKenna start on?
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