- McKenna’s three-year entry-level deal carries a $4.575 million cap hit for Toronto
- Bonuses could push the total value to $13.725 million over the three years
- Read below for the full year-by-year breakdown of the No. 1 pick’s contract
The full picture of Gavin McKenna’s first NHL contract is out, and it comes with a ceiling most rookies never see.
The 2026 first overall pick signed his three-year entry-level deal with the Maple Leafs on Friday, and salary tracker PuckPedia has the numbers. The contract carries a $1.075 million cap hit and a $4.575 million average annual value once bonuses are folded in. Stack every incentive on top and McKenna could bank up to $13.725 million across the three years.
Toronto made it official Friday afternoon, sharing photos of the 18-year-old putting pen to paper.
Here is how the money breaks down. McKenna earns a $922,000 base salary in year one, a $967,500 base in year two, and $1.025 million in the final season. Each year tacks on a signing bonus that climbs from $102,500 to $112,500.
Then come the performance bonuses. McKenna is eligible for up to $3.5 million in incentives every season, which works out to $10.5 million if he hits all of them. His guaranteed floor sits at $3.225 million, so the gap between the minimum and the max is enormous.
He earned the deal. McKenna piled up 51 points in 39 games at Penn State last season after a monster 129-point year in 56 games with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers. Toronto won the draft lottery to grab him first overall despite finishing 28th in the standings.
New general manager John Chayka has rebuilt the roster around his young star, and McKenna is expected to step into a real role right away. For a team that missed the playoffs this spring, a phenom on an entry-level contract is exactly the kind of jolt they were chasing.
