Maple Leafs thrown into controversy over Gavin McKenna's arrival

Gavin McKenna just became the most valuable asset in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, and Daily Faceoff still has their pool sitting 15th.

Steven Ellis dropped his 2026-27 prospect pool rankings earlier this week, and the Maple Leafs jumped nine spots from a year ago.

Nine spots. After landing the presumptive best player available and still landing outside the top 10.

A year ago this whole thing was a joke. Toronto finished 28th overall last season, 32-36-14, and closed the year on a seven-game losing streak.

Then the ping-pong balls fell their way and McKenna landed in Toronto, the biggest prize a draft lottery has handed out in years.

Ellis called it the best the Leafs pipeline has looked since Daily Faceoff started doing these rankings. That is a real jump.

So why still 15th? Because one player, even a generational one, does not fix a pool that had been picked over for years chasing a Cup.

Akhtyamov and Danford carry the pool behind McKenna

Akhtyamov and Danford are the two names carrying that pool behind McKenna. Both proved it in the same building this spring.

Artur Akhtyamov won Calder Cup Playoffs MVP with the AHL's Toronto Marlies, and now profiles as a real challenger to Anthony Stolarz for the backup net.

Ben Danford grew through that same Calder Cup run, showing a habit of jumping into the rush without giving up his defensive positioning.

Here is the part that should bother Leafs fans. Every pick the front office burned chasing a Cup with this current core is the reason the depth still lags.

Ranking 15th with the best player in the class on your roster is not a compliment. It is a receipt for every trade deadline gamble that came up empty.

McKenna graduates to the NHL this fall and steps in as Toronto's most important asset from day one, likely lined up alongside Auston Matthews or John Tavares.

That puts real pressure on Jim Hiller before he has even coached a regular season game behind the Leafs bench.