Toronto Maple Leafs’ top draft selection, Gavin McKenna, is starting his rookie journey with an adjustment. During this week’s development camp, McKenna took to the ice but had to decide on a new jersey number for the upcoming season.
Previously, while playing for the Western Hockey League’s Medicine Hat Tigers and later at Penn State, McKenna donned No. 72. As he participated in the Maple Leafs’ development camp, fans anticipated he would continue wearing No. 72. Many supporters had already purchased jerseys with that number.
On July 1, however, the Leafs signed Sergei Bobrovsky, a two-time Stanley Cup-winning goaltender known for wearing No. 72 throughout much of his career, except during his initial years with the Philadelphia Flyers when he wore No. 35. This signing prompted questions on jersey number assignments for the team.
The dilemma was between giving the number to McKenna, their new franchise player, or deferring to the experienced Bobrovsky. Ultimately, McKenna will switch to No. 92 for the season.
Several other simple alternatives were unavailable. Adding 7 and 2 results in 9, but that number was retired in honor of Charlie Conacher and Ted Kennedy. Flipping the digits to 27 was also not feasible as it was retired for Frank Mahovlich and Darryl Sittler.
McKenna ensured courtesy by reaching out to Jeff O’Neill, one of the few former players who wore No. 92, before making the change. O’Neill was supportive of McKenna’s choice.
Looking forward, McKenna is expected to play a vital role for the Maple Leafs. He joins the team in hopes of improving their performance following a challenging 2025-26 season, which ended with them in the last position in the Atlantic Division.