Two digits on a ping pong ball bouncing the right way is all it took to change the entire mood of a fanbase. A season filled with frustrations, bad decisions and disappointment for the Toronto Maple Leafs is melting away like the last remnants of snow on a warm spring day. Now, hope, optimism and enthusiasm fill the air, as the Leafs will have their pick of any player they like in the upcoming 2026 draft.
It’s something the team desperately needed. Toronto’s cupboards are bare. It wasn’t going to have a first-round selection for two of the next three years, and the future of Auston Matthews remains unclear. John Chayka noted how he and Mats Sundin were going to have to catch a moving train, and even though the draft lottery win doesn’t solve everything, it’s definitely given them a titanic boost.
Having the No. 1 pick also means the Leafs have choices and more flexibility. It’s a highly coveted selection, and while the obvious choice to most is to draft Gavin McKenna and not think twice, Chayka and Sundin could look for creative ways to utilize it and fill more holes on the roster.
Maple Leafs should explore trades, drafting someone other than Gavin McKenna
One of the most obvious needs for the Leafs is on the blue line, as they’ve been lacking a true No. 1 defenceman for, well, decades really. Had they simply kept the fifth pick, that’s likely the path they would’ve gone down, since there are a few talented blue-liners at the top of this draft. That said, could Toronto move down a few slots in a trade that includes a few other assets and still grab a high-end player like Chase Reid or Keaton Verhoeff on the back end?
There’s also a possibility the Leafs could consider trading the pick for multiple assets that could help them today. Would the St. Louis Blues consider moving Robert Thomas and the 11th overall pick, for example, for the right to the top selection? Thomas was on the block at the deadline but ultimately stayed put. We know the Leafs want to get back into the playoff mix immediately, and getting a quality, established centre would certainly help the cause.
Plus, Chayka’s resume shows he isn’t afraid to move high picks. While with the Arizona Coyotes, Chayka flipped the seventh overall pick for Derek Stepan. That was a bad swap, but it does point to the fact Chayka is willing to get aggressive with top-10 picks.
There’s also the possibility that the Leafs could keep the pick and draft someone other than McKenna. If there’s a defenceman they really covet, they could choose to take him at one, or they could look at another forward. Some value Ivar Stenberg ahead of McKenna and Caleb Malhotra, who plays centre, wouldn’t be far behind. Toronto has plenty of options worth considering.
There are some scenarios where it would make sense for the Leafs to consider doing something other than drafting McKenna, but making him their selection gives them the player with the highest upside, and it’s also what’s best long-term.
You can’t assume McKenna is going to have the same impact as a teenager like Macklin Celebrini and Matthew Schaefer did, but it really does feel like his ceiling is the highest in his class. He’s still going to be able to step in right away and play in Toronto’s top six, taking care of one hole the Leafs needed to address. McKenna would also instantly help a power play that has struggled to find consistency since Mitch Marner departed.
There are also only a handful of trade scenarios that would make sense to pass up for someone with McKenna’s potential. The talent level of players really drops once you get out of the top five in most drafts, so trading down wouldn’t be worth it unless you’re getting a handful of other assets. If you wanted to look at moving it for an established NHLer or two, they would have to be elite talents, and few teams would probably dangle those in this situation.
The Leafs also need to prepare for the scenario that this retool may not work. What if they are sitting in 11th or 12th in the East at the midway point of the season, and Auston Matthews decides he doesn’t want to extend? You’d almost certainly be heading towards a rebuild at that point, and it would be much better to start that off by building around someone like McKenna.
There will definitely be tempting opportunities for the Maple Leafs to consider regarding this No. 1 pick, but the safest and smartest play is to take McKenna.
The Lightning have major questions to address this off-season
It’s hard to believe a team as talented as the Tampa Bay Lightning has now exited the playoffs in the opening round four years in a row. The Lightning were close to breaking the streak against the Montreal Canadiens, but they came up short, and many of the issues from past years resurfaced. Andrei Vasilevskiy was really good for stretches, although he ultimately finished with a save percentage below .900 for the fourth consecutive post-season. As for Nikita Kucherov, he’s still factoring in on the scoresheet, though he’s tallied just two goals in Tampa’s past four playoff series. Kucherov is also now pointless in seven career Game 7s.
The majority of the Lightning’s core is 30 or older, and Darren Raddysh will be a UFA after a breakout season. Tampa is facing more questions this off-season than ever before, and if it doesn’t address them, its contention window could start shrinking quickly.
Raddysh’s situation looms largest for Tampa, as the emerging blue liner scored 70 points last season, and that offence would be hard to replace if he walks out the door. Retaining him would come with risk, though. Raddysh is likely looking for a massive raise on the $975K he made this year, and handing out big dollars with significant term for a 30-year-old with only one good offensive year could backfire. If he leaves, Victor Hedman would likely take back the power-play duties, though the unit could suffer without Raddysh.
When it comes to Vasilevskiy, Tampa may have to finally invest in a more capable No. 2 option to reduce the former Conn Smythe winner’s regular-season minutes. Vasilevskiy will turn 32 in July and has played a ton of hockey over the past several seasons, so prioritizing keeping him fresh for the playoffs going forward will be paramount. Jonas Johansson has handled the backup duties for the past three seasons, though the Lightning haven’t really been able to trust him. With the cap going up, it could be beneficial to invest in someone capable of playing 30-35 games to lighten Vasilevskiy’s workload a little.
The Lightning may have to target a centre, too. Brayden Point is one of the best in the business, but after him, things really drop off from an offensive perspective. Anthony Cirelli was nominated for the Selke this year, though his offence is on the low end for a top-six centre. Tampa and Kucherov are easier to defend without another high-end offensive pivot on their top two lines. It’s easier said than done, of course, but if it could add a centre who could make it more threatening in the offensive zone, Tampa would become more balanced and tougher to match up against.
General manager Julien BriseBois may not be able to tackle everything on his wish list. However, I’d argue that if he doesn’t upgrade in a couple of areas, it’s going to be tough for Tampa to compete with the younger up-and-coming teams in the East.
Mitch Marner has shed the narrative he can’t come through in the clutch
There is no denying Mitch Marner is a fabulous player and one of the best at his craft, but many, especially Leafs fans, will point to his shortcomings in the playoffs. At first glance, Marner’s playoff numbers in Toronto look good, though he did most of his damage earlier in a playoff series. The 29-year-old scored just once in a Game 5, 6 or 7 during his time with the Maple Leafs across nine playoff appearances. In this go-around with Vegas, though, things are starting off on a much better foot.
Marner scored twice in Game 6 versus Utah in the opening round, including the game-winning goal that sent the Mammoth home. He looks more comfortable this post-season without the weight of carrying several playoff disappointments like he did in a hockey-mad market in Toronto, and was dominant Friday night against the Anaheim Ducks, scoring a hat trick. Let’s also not overlook a couple of massive overtime goals he tallied for Team Canada at the 4 Nations and Olympics. Perhaps Marner has put the narrative that he can’t produce in the clutch behind him.
Marner has certainly been impressive for the Golden Knights so far this spring, but it’s still early. There’s a lot of hockey yet to be played, and one clutch outing in the first round against a first-time playoff team won’t completely erase the memories of past post-seasons. That said, the fact that Marner is playing a new position at times, and the most critical one on the ice for skaters, for that matter, while elevating a player like Brett Howden deserves a lot of praise. He’s given Vegas a lot more versatility and flexibility in its forward group. That could propel the Golden Knights on a deep run, where Marner would get more opportunities to deliver in the clutch and silence his critics once and for all.
What Frederik Andersen is doing this post-season is really incredible. The Carolina Hurricanes netminder has conceded just 10 goals in eight games thus far, barely giving up more than an average of a goal per game. Andersen’s save percentage is also sitting at .950, which is a massive increase from his regular-season number. The 36-year-old didn’t have a strong campaign, posting just an .874 save percentage with a goals against average of over three. This unexpected surge in play from Andersen has powered the Canes to an 8-0 record in the playoffs, as Carolina looks like it’s going to steamroll through the East. Even though there’s still more than two rounds to go, it really does feel like the Conn Smythe Trophy is Andersen’s to lose at this point.
There are some others that have really stepped up this post-season, but none are on the level of Andersen. Kirill Kaprizov, Quinn Hughes and Matt Boldy have all been excellent for the Minnesota Wild, but they are trailing the Colorado Avalanche in their series, and none have been so exceptional to unseat Andersen. Nathan MacKinnon and Jackson LaCombe have a case as well, although I don’t think you could argue either has been as far ahead of his peers as Andersen is. Goalies often end up winning the award, and it’s hard to believe Andersen wouldn’t claim it if this keeps up and Carolina goes on to win it all.
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