NHL draft lottery day handed Toronto the number one pick and a decision to make, all on the same afternoon.

The Maple Leafs are expected to select Gavin McKenna with the top pick. That news arrives alongside reports from The Score that Auston Matthews is not sure he will return to Toronto and wants to see meaningful roster improvements through trades and free agency before committing. One story pulls the franchise forward. The other points in a different direction.

The McDavid angle sits underneath all of it. Connor McDavid has one year left on his deal. Montreal has come up as a destination with assets to offer Edmonton. Toronto, now holding the first overall pick and potentially a franchise-shifting piece in Matthews, entered the conversation too. The draft positions for other Canadian teams: Vancouver at third, Calgary at sixth, Winnipeg at eighth. Calgary has never drafted higher than fourth in franchise history.

Topics: NHL draft lottery, Toronto Maple Leafs, Auston Matthews future, Connor McDavid free agency, Gavin McKenna

Originally aired on2026-05-05