WATCH: No. 1 pick Gavin McKenna scores first NHL goal

The kid has finally broken through.

Toronto Maple Leafs rookie Gavin McKenna scored his first career NHL goal in a game against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena.

The tally came in the latter half of the second period. With the Maple Leafs trailing 4-2, McKenna found himself open in the slot in the offensive zone. Toronto captain Auston Matthews won a puck battle from Predators forward Steven Stamkos along the boards and moved the puck to McKenna, who fired a shot past Nashville goaltender Juuse Saros to cut the deficit to one.

It was a big goal, not just for the Leafs, but for the first-overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Despite playing just three games this year, some skeptics have questioned whether McKenna was cut out for the big leagues after failing to register a point. Yet, he has proven in junior and in college that he has the talent to play at the highest levels.

The goal wasn’t the first time McKenna put his name on the scoresheet against the Preds. After the Leafs fell behind 3-0 earlier in the middle stanza, the 18-year-old set up John Tavares for his first goal of the season, giving McKenna his first NHL point. With that, he became the youngest Maple Leaf to post his first point with the club since Drake Berehowsky posted a point on Oct. 10, 1990. McKenna is just 10 days younger than Berehowsky when he broke the ice 36 years ago.

McKenna is also the ninth-youngest Leaf to score his first NHL goal, joining a list of former stars that include Ted Kennedy, Al Iafrate and Russ Courtnall.

There’s no question that McKenna had high expectations coming into his first season in the league. Not only was he the No. 1 pick in the draft, but he’s a young player who is projected to help be a part of the Original Six franchise’s turnaround after a rough 2025-26 season, where the team finished last in the Atlantic Division, missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in a decade.