Toronto Maple Leafs rookie Gavin McKenna, the team’s 2026 NHL draft first-overall pick, skates on a line at training camp with John Tavares as the team’s first practices begin. Both outlets report that McKenna lines up alongside Tavares, with William Nylander also involved in the same unit during the practice.
The Maple Leafs’ coaching staff keeps the information partly under wraps at the start of the session. CityNews Toronto reports coach Jim Hiller does not publicly disclose McKenna’s exact role before practice, leaving fans and media guessing until roughly 30 minutes into the session. Vancouver Sun similarly describes McKenna’s placement on the second line with Tavares as camp opens.
While the outlets agree on the core pairing with Tavares and the presence of Nylander, they differ slightly in how they describe the placement—Vancouver Sun characterizes it as the second line, while CityNews Toronto focuses on the grouping with Tavares and Nylander. Both accounts describe the same early glimpse of McKenna’s first-lineup look during camp.
