Toronto’s opening week carries an immediate marquee matchup: Gavin McKenna’s Maple Leafs will host Matthew Schaefer’s New York Islanders on Wednesday at Scotiabank Arena, one night after McKenna is scheduled to make his NHL regular-season debut against the Montreal Canadiens.
- McKenna, Toronto’s No. 1 selection in the June draft, is set to debut Tuesday against Montreal at Scotiabank Arena. Puck drop is 7 p.m. ET, with TVAS and SN carrying the game.
- Schaefer and the Islanders visit the Maple Leafs on Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. ET faceoff. Prime and MSGSN will televise the game.
- The teenagers are the NHL’s two most recent first-overall picks and have a long Team Canada connection. They first crossed paths at the U17 level, when Schaefer captained Team White and McKenna played for Team Red.
- They were also teammates at the 2025 World Junior Championship in Ottawa. Schaefer set up McKenna on Canada’s opening goal in a 4-0 win over Finland.
- Schaefer’s World Junior tournament was cut short by a broken collarbone suffered against Latvia. No current injury status or restriction was indicated.
- The Islanders defenseman, a Stoney Creek, Ontario native, will have family and friends nearby for the Toronto opener. He said New York’s focus remains on its own game despite Toronto’s offseason changes.
- McKenna called Schaefer an elite player and one of the best people he knows, citing his energy around the room and his ability to stay positive through hardship, including the 2024 death of Schaefer’s mother, Jennifer, after breast cancer.
- Schaefer greeted McKenna after Toronto made the No. 1 pick in Buffalo, where he conducted an on-stage interview with his friend. McKenna said the familiar face helped ease the nerves of draft night.
- Former first-overall picks Macklin Celebrini, Owen Power, Jack Hughes, Connor McDavid, John Tavares, Mats Sundin and Wendel Clark all pointed to McKenna’s talent, Toronto’s veteran room and the support available from Auston Matthews as reasons he should be equipped for the spotlight.
- Matthews called McKenna a special player and person, saying the rookie can become an important figure for both the club and organization.
- Schaefer’s advice for McKenna was simple: pressure is nothing new, so play his game and enjoy it.
- Being drafted first does not guarantee rookie-of-the-year hardware. Only seven first-overall selections have won the Calder Trophy during the past 20 years.
- Sidney Crosby noted that NHL teams are increasingly willing to hand young players meaningful responsibility early, rather than holding them back because of roster fit.
- Schaefer recently held a Stoney Creek gathering with his brother Johnny and father Todd to thank friends, family members, teachers and others who supported the family. Former Halton Hurricanes coach Jim Nyhuus was among those present.
What it means for the Islanders at Maple Leafs
Wednesday gives Toronto a fast second look at life with McKenna in the lineup, provided he makes his scheduled debut against Montreal the previous night. The Leafs will be asking their newest No. 1 pick to handle an NHL back-to-back in the opening week, with the added noise of a meeting against a close friend and fellow top selection.
For Schaefer, it is a home-region stop with a different assignment. The Islanders blue-liner knows the Toronto market well, but said the club cannot get caught up in the Leafs’ additions. His team will arrive focused on its own structure.
The personal thread is hard to miss. McKenna has played alongside Schaefer more often than he has faced him, and remembers the World Junior goal vividly: Schaefer found him at the far side, McKenna was stopped on an initial five-hole attempt, then pulled the puck around the goaltender and finished high. Schaefer skated over to celebrate his teammate’s first World Junior goal.
Now they meet in the NHL, with McKenna looking for Toronto’s first win of the season and Schaefer making the short trip from Stoney Creek with an Islanders result in mind.
