- Gavin McKenna says he won’t wear No. 72 if Sergei Bobrovsky wants it
- Bobrovsky wore 72 through both of Florida’s Stanley Cup runs
- Read below for why McKenna’s backup numbers are off the table too
Gavin McKenna already knows which fight isn’t worth picking in Toronto.
The No. 1 overall pick met the media at Maple Leafs development camp on Thursday and got the question every rookie with a recognizable number eventually hears. Would he keep wearing No. 72 as a Leaf? His answer came fast. Probably not.
That number is a problem because Toronto just handed it to a two-time champion. McKenna was asked whether he planned to hold onto the 72 he wore at Penn State, and he pointed straight at his new goaltender.
“Bob, he’s won two Stanley Cups,” McKenna said. “If he wants that number, he’s going to get that number.”
Watch McKenna take his first reps in blue and white:
Sergei Bobrovsky wore 72 through both of Florida’s title runs. The Leafs signed him on the opening day of free agency, and McKenna isn’t about to walk up to a goalie with two rings and ask him to switch.
Giving up 72 leaves McKenna hunting for something else, and his usual fallbacks are gone too. He said his two backup numbers, 9 and 27, both hang in the rafters at Scotiabank Arena. Ted Kennedy and Charlie Conacher share the 9, and Darryl Sittler owns the 27.
So the kid Toronto built its reset around will pick a fourth choice before he ever plays a game. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported the Leafs want McKenna on Auston Matthews’ line right away, so whatever number he lands on is going to get plenty of camera time.
Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz give Toronto the same tandem that won a Cup in Florida in 2024. That kind of goaltending is why a team that finished last in the Atlantic and missed the playoffs for the first time in 10 years suddenly has some hope again.
The 72 belongs to Bobrovsky. McKenna will sort out the rest.
