Chris Peters Puts Gavin McKenna to Maple Leafs at No. 1 — Nhl Mock Draft 2026
The nhl mock draft 2026 shifted its top tier on Wednesday, with The Athletic Hockey Show: Prospect Series projecting Gavin McKenna to the Toronto Maple Leafs at No. 1 overall. The annual episode came just over a week before the 2026 NHL Draft and set an early frame for how the first picks could unfold.
Chris Peters made the McKenna call and called him “the most dynamic player in this class.” He also cautioned that Toronto would not need him to carry everything right away, saying, “He doesn’t have to be the savior of the franchise, and that’s probably the best-case scenario for Gavin McKenna.”
Toronto's Blue Line Debate
The conversation around Toronto did not stop with McKenna. Corey Pronman argued the No. 1 pick could have gone to Reid or Ivar Stenberg before settling on the defenseman, saying, “There’s a lot of work to do still here on this blue line.”
Pronman pushed the point further with a direct roster read: “I think if it’s close, and I do think it’s close, I think they go with the D-man here.” He added, “They get a little bigger, they get a pillar on the blue line, and I think they leave the draft very happy with him.”
Vancouver and Chicago Targets
The mock also tied other top selections to specific team needs. Max Bultman said Vancouver made sense for Malhotra because of where the Canucks are in their rebuild, while Scott Wheeler said Chicago needs someone who can lift Connor Bedard instead of forcing Bedard to lift everyone else.
Wheeler added that Stenberg fits that task if McKenna goes first: “Stenberg is the player in this class, assuming that Gavin McKenna goes 1 obviously, Stenberg is that sort of winger.” He went on to call him “a point-per-game player in the league” and “exactly what they need.”
Peters also said Malhotra could interest the Rangers, then selected Carels and called him the most complete defenseman, comparing him to Charlie McAvoy. The first surprise pick of the mock came with the Flames, a reminder that the top of this draft still has room to move before the real board is set.
