The Toronto Maple Leafs selected Gavin McKenna with the first overall pick at the 2026 NHL Draft on Friday in Buffalo, officially landing their newest cornerstone.

Shortly after, the team released a phone call between general manager John Chayka, Mats Sundin, and McKenna, giving fans an inside look at the moment.The call opened with John Chayka greeting Gavin McKenna and asking if he was ready.

Chayka then congratulated him and officially welcomed him to the organization before passing the phone to Maple Leafs legend Mats Sundin, who also congratulated McKenna and welcomed him to the Maple Leafs family.

Hearing those words from Sundin, Toronto's former captain and current Senior Executive Advisor of Hockey Operations, made the moment even more special.

McKenna's freshman season at Penn State drew a lot of criticism, with the first half being a little slow. whether he still deserved to be considered among the top prospects in the class.

But he quickly found his form, scored 14 points in seven games at the 2026 World Junior Championshi, while Canada claimed bronze. He then closed his collegiate season with 33 points in his final 19 games. 

Toronto's confidence in McKenna extended well beyond draft night. Chayka had repeatedly praised the young forward during the pre-draft process after closely following his season.

Fans Couldn't Get Past Sundin's Voice

With the phone call now released to everyone, Maple Leafs fans quickly shifted their attention from McKenna to former captain Mats Sundin, whose deep, commanding voice became the unexpected star of the clip on the same X post of Leafs Latest.

One fan could not get over how authoritative Sundin sounded, joking, "Sundin literally sounds like a mafia boss."

That kicked off a string of similar reactions.

One fan said Sundin sounded more like a movie villain than a hockey legend, writing, "Sundin sounds like a movie villain."

Another compared him to the kind of intimidating final boss players face at the end of a video game, asking, "Why does Sundin sound like a final boss?"

Some even mixed pop culture references into the conversation.

One fan wrote, "Mats with the Vader/mafia voice," comparing Sundin's deep tone to Star Wars villain Darth Vader while also bringing back the mafia boss comparison.

Another fan stayed on the same theme, saying, "Love how Sundin sounded like a gangster."

While the phone call marked the official beginning of McKenna's Maple Leafs career, Sundin's unmistakable voice ended up becoming one of the biggest talking points among fans afterward.

What are your thoughts on McKenna's draft selection? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Rudra Dubey