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Maple Leafs Fall to Canadiens as McKenna, Marchenko Make Their Toronto Debuts
The 18-year-old first-overall pick skated 15:19 with Toronto but finished without a point as the Maple Leafs dropped their opener 3-2.
- On Tuesday, the Toronto Maple Leafs opened their 2026-27 season with a 3-2 home loss to the Montreal Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena, featuring rookie Gavin McKenna's NHL debut.
- Selected first overall in June, McKenna became the youngest Leaf debutant since Drake Berehowsky on Oct. 4, 1990, at 18 years and 283 days old.
- Playing 15 minutes and 19 seconds, McKenna recorded two shots on goal and finished at minus-2, while head coach Jim Hiller noted the new roster struggled to connect passes.
- Admitting his debut was "not my best," McKenna looks to Wednesday's game against the New York Islanders after calling his rookie lap "pretty special."
- General Manager John Chayka reaffirmed expectations remain high, stating ownership "spared no expense" to support McKenna through the inevitable ups and downs of his rookie season.
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21 Articles
21 Articles
NEW YORK. Toronto's rumored first-round draft pick Gavin McKenna didn't get his own rookie lap before his NHL debut at Scotiabank Arena last night. The shaky veteran goalie Sergei Bobrovsky pushed his way through the players' aisle to get on the ice first, as usual.
·Stockholm, Sweden
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The grand promise immediately caused a small stir.
·Helsinki, Finland
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Gavin McKenna Shares Honest Thoughts on Maple Leafs Debut
Toronto Maple Leafs No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna shared his honest thoughts on his regular-season debut for the club.McKenna was chosen with the first-overall pick after the Maple Leafs won the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery. It was a no-brainer pick for Maple Leafs GM John Chayka, as McKenna was the consensus top prospect in […]
·Las Vegas, United States
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources21
Leaning Left6Leaning Right0Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution60% Left
Bias Distribution
- 60% of the sources lean Left
60% Left
L 60%
C 40%
Factuality
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