Gavin McKenna is officially a Toronto Maple Leaf after signing his three-year entry-level deal with his parents at his side as he starts his NHL journey.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are officially going to have Gavin McKenna on the roster after signing the rookie phenom to his three-year entry-level deal on Friday, doing so with his parents by his side.
The team posted on social media a couple of photos of McKenna signing his deal as well as posing with family looking like a kid in a candy store with unlimited funds:
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McKenna, 18, recorded 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists) in 35 games with Penn State during the 2025-26 season and is expected to be the focal point of the Maple Leafs offence where he and Auston Matthews are likely to line up sooner rather than later.
Gavin McKenna inks first contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs
The breakdown of the contract will see McKenna work with a $1.075-million cap hit, and his compensation will be the maximum allowable under the CBA (all numbers according to Puckpedia):
$1.075M Cap Hit
$4.575M AAV
Yr 1: $922.K NHL, $102.5K Signing Bonus, $3.5M A & B Performance Bonus, $87.5K Minors
Yr 2: $967.5K/$107.5K/$3.5M/$87.5K
Yr 3: $1.0125M/$112.5K/$3.5M/$87.5K
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The site also explains a little bit more about the maximum compensation that McKenna will receive:
For Entry Level Contracts, starting in 26-27, the maximum Entry Level Compensation in a season (NHL Salary + Signing Bonus + Games Played Bonuses) is no longer based on the player's draft year. Instead, the maximum compensation is the league minimum salary in a particular season + $175,000.
Basically, if McKenna does everything that he is expected to do then he is going to have a pretty hefty payday at the end of it. Combine it with a lot of marketing opportunities and endorsement deals and suddenly he's going to be raking in the dough.
We can't really expect less from McKenna though is interesting to see just how much rookies make especially the top-tier ones, and however their pay can exceed sometimes upwards of 5x more than a league minimum. Guys in the league for a decade make under a million - McKenna is making that in his sleep.
It's proof that if you're a top name you're going to be given every single chance to earn top dollar through various means, but the most important contract he'll sign is the one he already did and hopefully it comes with immediate success.
Are you excited for Gavin McKenna?
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