The Maple Leafs rebuilt their prospect pool but one major weakness remains

Toronto's prospect pool improved dramatically this summer, but one weakness still stands out: there is no obvious young finisher behind Gavin McKenna. Daily Faceoff's Steven Ellis raised the same concern in his latest breakdown.

Before that, he made it clear that general manager John Chayka did a good job. They took Gavin McKenna first overall, whom Ellis believes is the best prospect in hockey. However, he also feels as though the Leafs are still missing a goal-scorer who can supplement Auston Matthews.

The big club seems to struggle whenever Auston Matthews is not at full health. I'm not sure there's anybody in the system here capable of putting up more than 15 goals a season max. That's to be expected when you don't pick high often and value trade deadline deals more than top 75 picks. Goal-scoring is the most important part of any team, and, yet, it's the hardest thing to find.

Finding NHL goal scorers is the hardest thing to do in the draft, and it's simply something the team was not able to address this Summer.

Toronto added prospect depth without adding another natural goal scorer

When you look deeper into Toronto's system, the concern is easy to understand. Most of the organization's top prospects project as playmakers, two-way forwards, defencemen or goaltenders rather than natural finishers.

Ellis believes McKenna is a franchise-changing prospect. He is someone who was number one on draft boards for months, and 2026 was seen as a year that you absolutely want to have that number one pick. That said, McKenna is a playmaker and not a goal-scorer. In 35 NCAA games, he had 36 assists, which is a stark contrast to 15 goals.

As for the team's other prospects, you have Ben Danford, who is a defensive option that still has a lot of work to do. Tinus-Luc Koblar is intriguing, although he is a two-way center whose NHL point-getting ability remains to be seen. Alexander Bilecki and Ethan MacKenzie are depth defensemen and won't solve the goal-scoring issue. Lastly, you have Artur Akhtyamov, who is someone who could someday be an NHL starter in net.

This is useful organizational depth that can serve the Leafs well for years to come. What the system currently lacks is an obvious prospect who projects as a future high-end NHL goal scorer.

McKenna may make Toronto's need for a future finisher even more important

According to The Daily Faceoff, McKenna is comparable to Patrick Kane and Nikita Kucherov. He is someone who can create high-danger opportunities and feed teammates the puck. That said, Ellis sees him as someone who taps out in the 20-30 goal range.

McKenna is going to make his mark as someone who generates offense and not someone who finishes. For now, that's not a problem as the team has Auston Matthews on the roster.

However, in four to five years down the line, the Leafs will need someone to take that mantle and bury those feeds from McKenna. Simply put, Chayka needs to continue building in the draft, while looking for young talent around the league.

Steven Ellis makes one thing clear: the Leafs have improved the prospect pool, but there is still one weakness left to address. McKenna could become the player who drives Toronto's next offensive core, but elite playmakers are most valuable when there are finishers around them. The next challenge for John Chayka is making sure the Leafs eventually develop or acquire someone capable of turning McKenna's creation into goals.

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