Gavin McKenna forces the Maple Leafs into a difficult roster dilemma

Gavin McKenna comes into the 2026-27 season as the first overall pick and a real chance to make the top-six which will lead the Maple Leafs to balance his usage.

McKenna has the potential to be a superstar though the expectations and pressures places upon him may add some unnecessary weight. The Maple Leafs though are in a position to support him so he's not driving the offence alone, and gets to learn and heed advice from minds like Auston Matthews, Mats Sundin, John Tavares and Wendel Clark - all former first overall picks.

They all know the weight of expectations, and McKenna will need to rely on their help to ensure his transition is a smooth one, but therein lies an issue for head coach Jim Hiller - balance.

Gavin McKenna forces the Maple Leafs to find him the right role

McKenna has already set lofty goals for himself with wanting to win the Calder Trophy so that already puts Hiller in a position to make sure he gets chances. That means top-six and power-play opportunities, and trusting that his talent can carry him where experience otherwise would.

It's a matter of finding who he takes over for as well. The majority of the top-six is already projected to be locked down with Matthews, Tavares, William Nylander, and Matthew Knies. That only leaves two openings with players like Easton Cowan and Jack Roslovic.

He does have a bit of an advantage being a left winger but again, Cowan is also a left winger and Roslovic can swap between both sides (though typically plays right wing).

But Cowan already has the NHL experience and proved he can be a solid offensive complement and he's looking to build off an 11-goal, 29-point season (66 games). Roslovic was signed with the intention of pairing him alongside Matthews given their prior history and his scoring ability plus it adds another veteran to the lineup who has that experience edge.

With no official lines, McKenna will still certainly fight for top-six minutes but it isn't necessarily guaranteed to start the season.

Burying him in the bottom-six wouldn't necessarily stunt his progression but it would have him responsible for driving the offence a lot more, and it would prevent him from gaining chemistry with the players he's expected to play with in the future.

McKenna could reshape the Maple Leafs entire forward hierarchy

There are a few potential lineups we could see McKenna be part of that would allow him to thrive and also have the protection necessary so he's not left hung out to dry.

First, we have the Puckpedia projected lineup (as of Aug. 9):

McKenna - Matthews - Knies
Cowan - Tavares - Nylander
Paul - Sissons - Roslovic
Joshua - Blueger - Duhaime

This lineup gives McKenna a prime role as the playmaker alongside Matthews while not having to do a lot of the dirty work thanks to Knies. His ability to win puck battles, power through defenders and crash the net will allow McKenna more space and give him chances to find Matthews.

This formation does keep the top-six star heavy and overloads the offensive side of thing and paying $4M a year for Roslovic looks like a big overpayment if he's just relegated to the third line and doesn't get that chance to play with Matthews.

Though he's mostly seen as a third line player in Toronto, his versatility to play centre and wing allows him to move anywhere that Hiller needs him to, which could also affect where McKenna plays.

This alternate lineup does make things look a little odd at first, but there's a method behind the madness:

Cowan - Matthews - Roslovic
McKenna - Tavares - Nylander
Sissons - Paul - Knies
Joshua - Blueger - Duhaime

Cowan is a player who had 200 assists in junior including both the regular season and the playoffs so he can fight to be that playmaker for Matthews while also being tenacious enough to win puck battles and draw defenders away.

Roslovic and Matthews get a chance to rekindle their old chemistry from their USNTDP days and with Roslovic having 20-goal potential, it gives another finisher alongside Matthews so he's not doing it all himself.

McKenna gets pushed down to the second line but it may be better for his growth. He still gets prime minutes offensively, and he'll be factored into the power-play on either unit. But he'll have the two-way protection of John Tavares and still have a prominent finisher in Nylander.

Knies gets pushed to the third line which may seem questionable but the potential third line being as big, energetic and defensively sound already - he adds a brand new offensive dynamic and is talented enough to drive his own line (43 assists and 66 points last season in 79 games).

Putting McKenna on the first line makes sense with the team trying to bring back Matthews' form by giving him someone who can present him more opportunities, though it does push one of Toronto's top signings down the lineup.

The second line also is a viable option because he'll still have the same offensive potential but with less added pressure to immediately succeed right away. It's weighing the benefits of McKenna now vs. growing him into the star he's expected to be.

For Jim Hiller, if he wants to make sure that McKenna gets the most of his opportunities though - it's going to be on the first line alongside the captain and the franchise's all-time leading goal scorer.

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