It is never too early to discuss next season's top draft pick: Gavin McKenna. The Penn State-bound left winger seems destined for the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft. NHL fanbases are already dreaming of McKenna in their jersey or farm system.
However, a few teams are delusional in thinking that they are going to land McKenna first overall. These three teams believe they are tanking for Gavin, but they're setting themselves up for disappointment.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Over the past 5 months, I've heard that this team should and will tank for McKenna. The Pens need a spiritual successor to Sidney Crosby, and McKenna has already been called the next great Penguin. Now, let's forget the fact that he is a left wing and not a center like Crosby, but let's not let facts get in the way. The Pens are going to be bad this season with taking Matt Dumba to an already-aging defense core. Tristan Jarry and Arturs Silovs will have to manage the crease, and with a sieve in front of them.
But the Pens do have some young prospects on the way. Rutger McGoraty, Ville Koivunen, and Avery Hayes are all forwards looking to take the next step. On the defense, Jack St Iveny has been a solid hand when called up, Owen Pickering is coming along, and Emili Pienniemi could come over from Finland this year. Lastly, in Wilkes-Barre, there is their next Goalie project in Sergei Murashov, who was terrific in goal at the minor level, and hopes to take the next step in his development.
With all this young talent, Pittsburgh could start badly and be out of any playoff hopes by Christmas, but as we have seen in the past, this team plays its best (and worst) hockey in the last 15 games. Pittsburgh could easily sell at the deadline, call up as many of the young talent they have, and play themselves out of the best odds for the No. 1 overall pick.
Boston Bruins
Ah, the team from Bean Town, who finally sold at the deadline and finished last in the Atlantic. While many around the league celebrated this team's demise, some believe they could be bad again. With a bit of luck, they might even get the No. 1 overall pick to jump-start a quick reload instead of a full-blown rebuild.
But the Bruins are in better hands than they think. David Pastrnak remains an elite goal scorer who can and should score 40-45 goals in any given season. He has help on the first line with Morgan Geekie and Elias Lindholm; the top six for Boston is, at worst, good enough to keep them in games. Their bottom six is made up of guys who would fit that role on any NHL team. And that is one of the Achilles' heels of this team; they have no depth outside of the top 6. Once you get past Pasta, Pavel Zacha, Geekie, and Lindholm, the scoring drops off.
On defense, they still have Charlie McAvoy, whom any NHL team would want and would clone six times to play all three lines. With Hampus Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov, and Henri Jokiharju, the top four on defense aren't too bad. It's in goaltending where the Bruins are weak. Jeremy Swayman, the next big thing in Boston, had a terrible year with a 3.11 GAA and a save percentage under .900. They brought in Joonas Korpisalo, who isn't much better, with a 2.90 GAA and a save percentage below .900 last season. They had a goalie in the pipeline in Brandon Bussi, but they let him walk this offseason.
Bruins fans could easily convince themselves that if we are bad again, we can get Gavin McKenna. They then let him return to college for another year, and subsequently brought him in to join David Pastrnak and Morgna Geekie, creating instant magic. The Bruins will improve from last year. They're still top-heavy on talent, but that's a good thing. They are more than capable of fighting for a wild card and potentially securing another first-round matchup with Toronto. Alternatively, they might be in the 9-15 range in the draft lottery, but not near the top 1-5 with the best odds.
Anaheim Ducks
Oh boy, the Anaheim Ducks could be in for a tough season this year, especially after trading away Trevor Zegras. The Ducks seem poised to rebuild, which is a good sign, but it's another rebuild after a failed rebuild. Acquiring McKenna could serve as the Zegras replacement, providing the final piece they need to return to contention in the Pacific Division.
The Ducks have a forward group that consists of draft picks and hopeful signings. They have Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba from the Rangers, Alex Killorn from Tampa, Ryan Poehling from Philly, and Radko Gudas also from Tampa. Their young core of Troy Terry, Cutter Gauthier, Leo Carlsson, and Mason McTavish gives fans reason to be optimistic but isn't quite ready for elite competition yet.
Last year, they found their goaltender of the future in Lukas Dostal and locked him up long-term. The Ducks even got a 35-year-old Petr Mrazek to do... something and teach the young goalie.
So, why can't the Ducks get McKenna? The Ducks aren't the worst team in their division. The San Jose Sharks could easily secure another Top 3 pick, while the Seattle Kraken could bottom out and land McKenna as their face for the Kraken. The Ducks are stuck in NHL purgatory, too good to tank, but not good enough to secure a playoff spot in the weakest division in the NHL. They could be bad and get at best a 7-10 spot in the draft, but getting the No. 1 spot for McKenna is California Dreamin', indeed.
Enjoy the last month without hockey, everyone, and see you in the fall.