BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) 鈥� In giving John Chayka a tour of his hometown of Whitehorse, Yukon, last month, made sure to take the Toronto Maple Leafs general manager on a visit to a nearby mountain.
鈥淚 had fun,鈥� McKenna said with a smile on Thursday. 鈥淎nd I hope he did.鈥�
The 18-year-old top-rated NHL prospect and everyone else will find out at the draft in Buffalo on Friday night, with Toronto .
The newly hired Chayka appreciates the figuratively steep climb he鈥檚 undertaking in trying to restoring luster to one of the NHL鈥檚 marquee franchises.
鈥淵ou want to almost make it a bit painful to make sure you鈥檙e getting it right,鈥� Chayka said, noting the front office is unanimous on the selection, without revealing who. 鈥淎nd I think that鈥檚 what we did.鈥�
For Toronto, the draft represents a familiar starting-over moment. It was in the same downtown Buffalo arena 10 years ago nearly to the day when the Maple Leafs selected Auston Matthews with the first pick.
Though Matthews remains, with a new front office, new coach and having to rebuild their core group after finishing last in the Atlantic Division. It was the first time they鈥檝e missed the playoffs with Matthews.
Uncertainty over top-5 selections
McKenna, an undersized winger at 5-foot-11 but a prolific scorer, is the projected No. 1 pick. Yet he has company in that鈥檚 light at the top on centers and deep on defensemen, leaving many NHL executives unsure of the top five picks.
They include San Jose GM Mike Grier, whose team is scheduled to pick second and ninth.
鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely a year where I don鈥檛 think anyone really knows how it鈥檚 going to go, so it could go off the rails a little bit,鈥� Grier said. 鈥淓veryone鈥檚 board is going to be drastically different.鈥�
Among are Sweden left winger Ivar Stenberg, center Caleb Malhotra, and a host of defensemen: Latvia鈥檚 Alberts Smits, North Dakota鈥檚 Keaton Verhoeff, and Chase Reid, the top-ranked U.S.-born prospect.
There鈥檚 intrigue with Vancouver picking third, and the prospect of Malhotra being selected by a team where his father, , is the new head coach.
鈥淥ur family, we have a great relationship. We鈥檙e pretty open about it,鈥� Caleb Malhotra said, noting the Canucks have kept his father out of the draft loop. 鈥淗e鈥檚 just going to come and be my dad.鈥�
The hometown Sabres have the fourth pick, followed by the New York Rangers.
Trades could shake up the order
There鈥檚 even more unpredictability with the possibility of
Buffalo鈥檚 already done so, by dealing defenseman Bo Byram to Chicago this week. The No. 9 pick has already changed hands three times within the past week, with Florida trading it to Ottawa .
Grier hasn鈥檛 ruled out trading the No. 2 pick, and said he has received 鈥渁 couple of legitimate offers.鈥� Chayka said he鈥檚 made a push to land another top-five selection.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 remember the last time that much activity has happened with picks that high,鈥� said newly hired Predators GM Chris McFarland.
His memory is fuzzy because top-five selections don鈥檛 often change hands. It鈥檚 happened just four times since the NHL lockout wiped away the 2004-05 season, and only one of those trades were made after the order of selection was revealed.
鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting,鈥� McKenna said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 been a lot of big moves. And just watching it as a fan right now, it鈥檚 been fun.鈥�
McKenna plays to top-pick billing
The trades represent an amusing distraction for someone determined to prove worthy of being pegged as his age group鈥檚 top player two years ago. After a prolific two-plus-year stint with Medicine Hat in the WHL, to face older and more physical competition.
He ended his freshman season with a flourish, scoring 32 points in his final 17 outings. His 51 points finished tied for fourth in the nation.
鈥淎mazing story,鈥� Chayka said of McKenna. 鈥淣ever had a skills coach until he was 13. Didn鈥檛 have a skating coach until he was 13. He鈥檚 not at the gym until he was 15.”
McKenna has visited Toronto, including attending a World Cup game with his family this week.
鈥淥bviously, I鈥檝e thought about it,鈥� McKenna said of being selected first by the Leafs, before saying the decision is out of his hands.
鈥淚’m very grateful for where I’m at today. There’s been a lot of ups and downs through it all,鈥� he added. 鈥淏ut if I was a young kid telling myself this is where I’d be, talking in front of you guys at the NHL draft, I’d be pumped.鈥�
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AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno, AP sports writers Jay Cohen and Teresa M. Walker contributed to this report.
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