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The Toronto Maple Leafs hit the jackpot in May, winning the NHL’s Draft Lottery. After a dreadful season last year, they’re coming back this season with the top overall pick, Gavin McKenna, in tow. No one is ready to put unreasonable expectations on the kid, but NHL Network is certainly pumping his tires. They have named McKenna the best prospect in the league. That ranking puts him ahead of a couple of other top prospects who have already gotten their feet wet and shown they can compete at a high level in the NHL with the best in the world. Philadelphia Flyers’ beast Porter Martone stepped right into the league late last season and recorded 10 points in nine regular-season games. He then went on to post another five points in 10 playoff contests while handing out 33 hits. Anton Frondell comes in at #3 on NHL Network’s list, and the former third overall pick was also impressive in his brief stint with the Chicago Blackhawks, registering nine points in 12 games. But those two will be chasing McKenna in the rankings to start the new campaign. McKenna to spend rookie year living with a recent Maple Leafs captain, John Tavares We all must remember that the newest Leafs phenom is still only 18 years old. So to help him out with his transition to the NHL, McKenna will be under the mentorship of grizzled veteran John Tavares. Day and night. Literally. McKenna will call the Tavares household ‘home’ for the 2026-27 season. This isn’t the first time Tavares, the former captain of the club, has taken in a young stud to be under his wing in his family’s home. He’s done the same over the past few years with Fraser Minten, Matthew Knies and Easton Cowan as well. And we know that’s worked out pretty well for each of them. Minten just signed a rich seven-year, $50M deal ($7.2M AAV) with the Boston Bruins. Knies, still with Toronto, has done pretty well for himself as well. He set a career high last season with 66 points. He, too, earned himself a nice long-term contract, six years at a $7.75M AAV. Cowan, at the end of his rookie year under Tavares’s roof, went on to help the Marlies win the Calder Cup with a sensational playoff run this past spring. The idea of having their new wunderkind under the care of Tavares, a gentleman and class act all the way, should work wonders for McKenna. “That seems to be something that should work. If you’re an organization, you wanna see a young player with a veteran like that who can set that example,” said Scott Laughlin on NHL Morning Skate. Another former No. 1 pick sings McKenna’s praises: ‘In the best spot’ Another former No. 1 pick, Jack Hughes, said on Wednesday that McKenna is in a great spot in Toronto. I think of all the first-overall picks in that last bunch of years, he might be a guy that might have the spotlight on him the most, but might be in the best spot because they should have a good team — the Leafs probably shouldn’t have had the first-overall pick. And on top of that he has Auston Matthews and John Tavares, who were both first-overall picks before. He should have more than enough experience and guys to lean on and who he can talk to about the situations that he’s going through. McKenna is already in Toronto taking part in informal workouts and skates ahead of the official training camp start next week.