Willie Desjardins raves about Gavin McKenna’s desire to be the best: ‘He loves winning’
The Maple Leafs have already brought in John Chayka as general manager and Mats Sundin as senior hockey advisor, but still have two big decisions to make in the next few weeks. The club must find a new head coach who aligns with the organization’s vision and decide whom they want to select first overall at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
Currently, Penn State’s Gavin McKenna feels like the front-runner to go off the board first on June 26 in Buffalo. The 18-year-old impressed during his first season in the NCAA, recording 15 goals and 36 assists to lead the Nittany Lions with 51 points.
“His vision is incredible. I’ve worked with lords of good players, and he’s right up there with any of them with his vision. Also, his skill. He’s got a great stick, which is good both offensively and defensively,” Desjardins said. “I think the thing about him is his drive to be great. He wants to be a great player; he doesn’t want to be average. He loves winning, and he really cheers for his teammates. He is excited for his teammates, and that’s the type of player you want in your organization.”
Desjardins knows the pressure of coaching in a Canadian market well, having spent three seasons as the Vancouver Canucks’ head coach from 2014 to 2017. During his time with the Canucks, Desjardins compiled a regular-season record of 109-110-27, making the playoffs in 2014-15 after finishing second in the Pacific Division with a 48-29-5 record.
“I have been in Los Angeles and Dallas as well, and for sure, Canada’s market is different. It’s a hard market, but they are such great and passionate fans,” Desjardins said. “You look at the Blue Jays’ run last year, and how exciting it is to be in a Canadian market when you’re winning, like there’s no better place to be. On the flip side, when you aren’t winning, it’s hard in the Canadian market for sure, so you need to do whatever you can to take the pressure off your players in that market.”
As for Toronto, the pressure to win and succeed feels like it’s greater than anywhere else in the sport. The fanbase is dying to see their team win for the first time since 1967, and the media presence that comes with the job feels bigger. While this could deter some candidates from taking on this challenge, Desjardins touched on one reason Toronto will always have its suitors.
“Can you imagine what it would be like to win a Stanley Cup in Toronto? So how could you not want to do that? Like, it would be unbelievable,” Desjardins said. “It would be so good, and it’s going to happen, it’s just when is it going to happen. It’s a great market with huge upside. For sure, any coach would want that opportunity, but there is pressure that goes with it.”
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