Maple Leafs GM John Chayka calls Gavin McKenna ‘a really nice young man’ after visit to Whitehorse
“I spent a lot of time with him and his family now and going through that process. We want to make sure we get the person right, first and foremost,” Chayka said to reporters in Buffalo about the visit. “Gavin is a really nice young man. Really quality family. Spent some quality time with him, got to know him. He’s a small-town kid. It’s a remote area of the world, very peaceful but beautiful. Within that, I think there’s some real resolve around who he is and what his career means to him and his family, and I find it impressive.”
That means getting all of the information they need in assessing the characteristics of the players they are considering, and going above and beyond to ensure they are comfortable with who they are selecting.
“We’ve gone through everything about every player, about instances, as much as they’ve participated in. I’ve talked to everyone personally involved, including Gavin,” Chayka said. “The probability is we take the pick, just realistically. We have had discussions, we will continue to have discussions. Obviously, everything is for sale at the right price. But to date, there’s nothing compelling that we’re seriously considering, but there’s still time.”
It is safe to assume at the time of filing that the Leafs are going to select McKenna first overall when they are called to the stage at the start of the NHL Draft on June 26. That isn’t to say that there is zero chance they go with someone else entirely, but it’s hard to envision them going in a different direction given how much praise was heaped upon him by Chayka.
In the meantime, the Leafs continue their search to find their next head coach to replace Craig Berube. Chayka was asked about the state of affairs and if they would be able to announce the hire before the draft in Buffalo.
“Organizationally, we need to be aligned and that alignment that starts with ownership,” he said. “This is the next leader of the Toronto Maple Leafs. We’ve gone through a very thorough process. There were 55 people we spoke to, or reached out. We’ve had, you know, this initial kind of call it first round that we just finished up recently. Now we’re getting into the next layer of this. No timeline, or time constraints.”