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The Official 2026 Off-Season Thread: Revenge of the Nerds

How is a 4C who is incapable of any offense worth anything close to the term and dollars of this deal? He’s basically the forward version of Carlo.
 
Foregone conclusion

www.nytimes.com

2026 NHL Mock Draft 2.0: Starting with Gavin McKenna to Toronto, Scott Wheeler predicts first 32 picks

With the NHL Scouting Combine in the books, here's Wheeler's second and penultimate first-round mock for the 2026 NHL Draft.
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1. Toronto Maple Leafs: Gavin McKenna, LW, Penn State (NCAA)​

People around the league are more and more convinced it’s going to be McKenna for the Leafs, and nothing I heard in Buffalo this week steered me in another direction. I know they like Chase Reid, but the sense I get is it’s McKenna. After their staff visited Whitehorse, he’s now visiting Toronto post-combine.
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Preston said:

View: https://x.com/i/status/2064413219314110501

2nd hand, more like

The Official 2026 Off-Season Thread: Revenge of the Nerds

I really think Hayton is the play at C. Young prime, handles top matchups, possibly has untapped offensive upside (the nerdies are there at least). I don't know how motivated Utah is to move him, but we know they haven't re-signed him yet (RFA) so that's enough to think he's available. Utah...
www.forumice.com
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I just saw that and also immediately thought “zeke”.

Wouldn’t be the first time he manifested a Leaf trade into being out of thin air. Though unfortunately, the last time he did it was the acquisition of Foligno & Nash from Columbus.
 
Preston said:
Now I could be wrong, but an NHL team telling this to the player weeks before the draft would be highly unprecedented.

That said, they're obviously taking him so this was an easy risk free rumor to fire off by a... Bruins blogger..
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Would it be unprecedented? Like, did the Oilers really play coy with Connor McDavid and not tell him they’d be drafting him? The Penguins played pretend with Sidney Crosby that they might take Bobby Ryan instead?

Not that this guy knows anything. I just have a hard time believing that most teams with the 1st overall pick in a draft with a consensus #1 wouldn’t tell the kid that barring an Eric Lindros-esque trade offer, they’ll be taking them with the first pick.
 
LeafGm said:
Would it be unprecedented? Like, did the Oilers really play coy with Connor McDavid and not tell him they’d be drafting him? The Penguins played pretend with Sidney Crosby that they might take Bobby Ryan instead?

Not that this guy knows anything. I just have a hard time believing that most teams with the 1st overall pick in a draft with a consensus #1 wouldn’t tell the kid that they’re taking them, barring an Eric Lindros-esque trade offer.
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A day before maybe but weeks before? What if someone offers you a trade you can't refuse? 99% chance they make the pick, but do teams really blow their load and promise the player they're on the team weeks before the draft? Do they need to? I'm sure it's obvious enough without needing to make a promise. Maybe though, I genuinely don't know.
 
Preston said:
A day before maybe but weeks before? What if someone offers you a trade you can't refuse? 99% chance they make the pick, but do teams really blow their load and promise the player they're on the team weeks before the draft? Do they need to? I'm sure it's obvious enough without needing to make a promise. Maybe though, I genuinely don't know.
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Yeah, it would be dumb for them to tell him in advance. Anything could happen. They could tell him nice things like we think you'd be a great fit and a fantastic building block and so on, without needing to tell him outright they are picking him. I'd think they wouldn't even want to deprive him the experience and surprise of finding out in real time that he went first overall.
 
leafman101 said:
If you take points out of the equation, Raddysh is still a guy that plays top pair, not shutdown, minutes even strength with elite transition stats and possession stats.

If that guy isn’t a PP QB and only scores 35 points how much less than $8 mill is he worth?

Hes kind of the perfect matter for McCabe.
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Even if we weren't pretty fucking desperate for a big minute RHD that can move the puck, I'd want us to be in on him. But we are pretty fucking desperate, and I'd much rather take this risk than trade really good assets away to get a guy who might actually not be better than Raddysh.
 
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