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Toronto Maple Leafs first-round draft pick Gavin McKenna has already been on the ice with the team as it held its development camp this week, but the highly touted rookie will have to make a big change this fall.
His number.
When he played for the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League and then again for Penn State last season, McKenna wore number 72.
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Toronto Maple Leafs top pick Gavin McKenna has revealed he will be opting for a new number for his rookie campaign. (Photo by Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)
McKenna was expected to wear number 72 with the Maple Leafs, and he did so this week at development camp. Many fans have also already ordered No. 72 jerseys with his name on the back.
On most lists, the number 72 is unique enough that he would have no problem wearing it. However, on July 1, the Leafs signed two-time Stanley Cup champion goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who wore number 72 for most of his career except for his first two seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers, where he wore number 35.
So, some people were wondering how this was going to happen. Would the Leafs want their new franchise player to have their pick of the numbers, or would they rely on a two-time Vezina winner?
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Gavin McKenna wore number 72 as a junior, as well as last season at Penn State. (Photo by Richard T. Gagnon/Getty Images)
Well, it turns out that McKenna will be the one to swap numbers, and he’ll be moving up to No. 92 this season.
McKenna had to get creative here, as obvious number changes were prohibited in Toronto. Adding 7 and 2 would make 9, but this was removed in honor of Charlie Conacher and Ted Kennedy.
Another option would have been to reverse the numbers and go with the number 27, but that was retired in honor of Frank Mahovlich and Darryl Sittler.
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So it’s 92.
However, McKenna contacted one of the previous three players to wear the number, Jeff O’Neill, to ask if he was comfortable with its use.
It’s fair to say he disagreed with the idea.
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McKenna will be a key part of a Maple Leafs team looking to bounce back from a nightmarish 2025-26 campaign that saw them finish last in the Atlantic Division.
