Gavin McKenna scores 1st NHL goal for Leafs

Gavin McKenna made his NHL debut by scoring the first goal for the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft, McKenna, who was selected in June, took a pass from Auston Matthews before shooting the puck into the net. This marked McKenna's first goal in his fourth professional game.

He also added an assist on Toronto's opening goal, scored by William Nylander off the stick of William Nylander. The goal was McKenna's first point in the NHL. The Maple Leafs, who missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade last spring, secured the draft pick after winning the draft lottery. Besides McKenna, the Maple Leafs signed goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and defenceman Darren Raddysh, and acquired winger Kirill Marchenko during a significant off-season.

McKenna, who previously played in the Canadian Hockey League and NCAA, averaged 14 minutes and 32 seconds of ice time in his first three NHL games, registering three shots on target and a minus-3 rating. After a loss to the Ottawa Senators, McKenna expressed that this was his best performance yet, attributing it to gaining confidence and learning from each game.