Projected first overall pick Gavin McKenna said he wants "to be a villain" in relation to potentially being selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday.
Only one more sleep remains before the Toronto Maple Leafs make their first overall selection in the 2026 NHL draft.
With the draft coming up so soon, prospects are already settled in Buffalo, the host of the draft, and Gavin McKenna has a media availability ahead of Friday's first round.
McKenna was asked what it would be like to play in Buffalo, potentially as a member of the Maple Leafs. The two teams are obvious rivals in the Atlantic Division.
"I want to be a villain wherever I go," McKenna told reporters in Buffalo on Thursday.
McKenna has been projected to be selected with Toronto's first overall pick by most drafting and prospect experts. Therefore, if the likely happens with the Leafs take McKenna at No. 1, it seems that the 18-year-old has no issue with taking on the spotlight, and certainly has the personality and swagger to thrive.
In addition to this media availability in Buffalo, he also had a recent interview with TSN. He was asked about what it would be like for him to play alongside a player like Auston Matthews and how he thinks the two would mesh in the lineup.
"I can think the game very well, and I can find guys in spots where not many people can find them, so if you put me with a shooter, it could be pretty lethal," McKenna said confidently.
Speaking of McKenna and Matthews, there is a parallel between the two players around the draft.
Not only were they both stars in their draft classes and projected to be first overall, but the Leafs drafted Matthews in Buffalo in 2016, and 10 years later, McKenna will be selected in the same city.
Not to mention, the narrative surrounding their respective drafts had another star prospect challenging them for that first overall pick. Then it was Patrik Laine, and now it's Ivar Stenberg.
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