Following all the hype and expectation, the Toronto Maple Leafs indeed selected Gavin McKenna as the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft on Friday, June 26, in Buffalo, New York. When pop artist and Maple Leafs fan Justin Bieber announced the selection at KeyBank Center, NHL fans took to X to troll the franchise for it.

Coincidentally, the home of the Buffalo Sabres is the same place where the Maple Leafs drafted their current captain, Auston Matthews, as the No. 1 pick 10 years ago.

After Bieber announced McKenna’s name in a highly anticipated moment, the Canadian walked up to the stage with the pop artist’s song “YUKON” playing in the background. The newest addition to the Maple Leafs roster chose it as his walk-up song to pay tribute to his hometown of Whitehorse, Yukon.

“To all the Yukoners out there, this song is for you,” said McKenna in an interview after becoming the first overall selection in the draft, as per NHL.com. “Thanks Justin.”

Notably, the 18-year-old forward, who specializes at left wing, played in the 2025-26 season as a freshman for Penn State and achieved great success. He scored 51 points (15 Goals / 36 Assists) in 36 games for the Nittany Lions to finish tied in fifth place in the NCAA  standings for top scorers.

For his consistent performances, he ended up being the top 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, which is to honor the top player in the NCAA men’s hockey competition.

Before that, McKenna made a name for himself at the Medicine Hat Tigers in the Western Hockey League (WHL) for three seasons. He managed to score in 54 games in a row at one stage in the league before becoming the Canadian Hockey League Player of the Year.

“I know how exciting this is for you and your family, and what an incredible honor it is,” said Matthews in the video message addressed to McKenna, per NHL. “Congratulations, we're just as excited to have you join the Maple Leafs and cannot wait to get started.”

While the likes of Bieber and Matthews welcomed McKenna to the Maple Leafs with open arms, the NHL fans weren’t quite as receptive to the draft pick.

Fans feel "sorry" for Gavin McKenna after Maple Leafs signing

The NHL fans didn’t hesitate in trolling the Toronto Maple Leafs for selecting Gavin McKenna as the No. 1 pick. It mostly stems from the uncertainty surrounding the Maple Leafs due to their inability to win the Stanley Cup in decades, which often falls on players in key roles.

“Another star player who has to waste his career in Toronto,” one of them said about McKenna at the Maple Leafs.

Another fan, who didn’t think highly of the Maple Leafs and predicted McKenna won’t last for long there. They wondered if the teenager would leave the franchise just after finishing up the entry-level contract.

“Where do we think he’s going to request a trade to in 3 years?”

A group of NHL supporters felt that the Whitehorse, Yukon, native was going to a place that would ruin him, in their estimation.

“I'm so sorry Gavin,” a NHL supporter remarked, while another one noted, “they sent him to h***.”

What about McKenna fitting better in another team? Maybe the Washington Capitals? For one fan, that was the case, as they wrote:

"He should have been a capital…"

Is Gavin McKenna going to play a key role in proving the doubters of the Toronto Maple Leafs wrong in the coming years? Tell us your views in the comments.

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Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Yash Kotak