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Penguins have destiny on their side in NHL Draft pursuit of Gavin McKenna

The Sporting News's profile
Original Story by The Sporting News
July 10, 2025
Penguins have destiny on their side in NHL Draft pursuit of Gavin McKenna

Only twice in their history have the Pittsburgh Penguins "earned" the No. 1 overall pick in the NHL Draft by virtue of a league-worst record.

Both times, that worked out pretty well (that's not to mention when they traded into the top spot to draft Marc-Andre Fleury).

In 1984, the Penguins had the No. 1 pick and chose Mario Lemieux. 

In 2005, 21 years later, the Penguins had the No. 1 pick and took Sidney Crosby.

And heading into a draft 21 years after Crosby, Pittsburgh would be quite fortunate to get the No. 1 spot in the 2026 NHL Draft.

That's because Gavin McKenna will be there for the taking.

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The superstar Canadian prospect has been the presumed top pick in his draft class for more than a year.

He recently took the unprecedented step of committing to a year of college hockey at Penn State. It's legitimately been compared to what it would've been like if Crosby decided to do that for a year.

PSU shouldn't hinder McKenna's development in any way. He's still a shooting star.

And if the Penguins somehow have this kind of luck held down, then maybe they'll just end up with McKenna.

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