With Sergei Bobrovsky taking No. 72 instead of Gavin McKenna, and his backup Nos. 27 and 9 in the rafters, the 2026 first overall pick needs to do some soul-searching to think of a new number to wear for the Toronto Maple Leafs next season. Here are three options that he could go with.
After Gavin McKenna admitted that he probably didn't expect to wear his preferred No. 72 in the NHL next season because of the addition of Sergei Bobrovsky, the two-time Stanley Cup champion goaltender confirmed on Friday in his introductory media availability.
Bobrovsky said he and McKenna spoke on Thursday about the number.
"He gave that number to me, we had a little chat," Bobrovsky said. "He's a bright guy. He's got really positive energy. And I'm excited to watch him develop into the big superstar, honestly."
Now that it's confirmed, Bobrovsky will keep the No. 72 that he's worn with the Florida Panthers and Columbus Blue Jackets.
In the meantime, McKenna can't even use the two fallback options as his number, because No. 27 and No. 9 are both in the rafters. So, what number will McKenna wear for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL next season? Here are three suggestions.
No. 12
There are a couple of reasons why McKenna could wear the No. 12 for the Maple Leafs in the upcoming campaign.
The No. 12 is the closest McKenna can get to wearing No. 72 in terms of the numbers looking similar.
But the more meaningful reason behind wearing No. 12 is in relation to how the Maple Leafs landed the 2026 first overall pick in the first place.
At the NHL's draft lottery, Toronto had an 8.5 percent chance of winning the first pick. The first three lottery balls were Nos. 7, 2 and 11. And to officially win the NHL draft lottery, out came the ping-pong ball that was labelled with the No. 12. Without that number on the ball, McKenna's life would've played out differently.
The last player on the Maple Leafs to wear this number was Zach Aston-Reese in 2022-23.
No. 16
It would certainly generate plenty of reactions from hockey fans, but what if McKenna decided to wear No. 16, previously worn by Mitch Marner?
Marner wore No. 16 throughout his entire tenure with the Maple Leafs from 2016-17 to 2024-25, scoring 741 points in the process, putting him sixth among all-time leaders in franchise history. He was known for his playmaking and chemistry on the ice, regularly setting up Auston Matthews.
In a sense, McKenna has similarities to Marner in his game, particularly in his ability to see the ice, his vision, and his playmaking. Also, the 18-year-old may get a spot on the top line with Matthews, just like Marner did for a chunk of his career.
It would be a bold choice to wear No. 16, but McKenna has shown he is a confident individual.
No. 86
In the build-up to the NHL draft and even around the time of the 2026 World Junior Championship, McKenna has said that he has modelled his game and shares a similar playing style to Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov. And of course, Kucherov wears No. 86.
Marner is an example of a player choosing a number to match an idol. Though he wore No. 16 with the Leafs, he wore No. 93 with the London Knights, and now for the Vegas Golden Knights because of his hockey hero, Doug Gilmour.
McKenna has also revealed another hockey hero of his to be Patrick Kane, but his famous No. 88 is already taken by William Nylander.
Therefore, it wouldn't be completely out of the ordinary if McKenna went on to choose No. 86. In fact, he'd become the first player to ever wear that number in franchise history.
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