The Toronto Maple Leafs wasted no time getting their newest star under contract, signing first overall draft pick Gavin McKenna to a three-year entry-level deal on Friday — just seven days after selecting him at the top of the NHL draft.
The team gave McKenna the highest salary permitted under the league’s collective bargaining agreement. Under the current structure, entry-level contracts max out at $1.025 million in the first year, $1.075 million in the second, and $1.125 million in the third.
According to The Athletic, McKenna is also eligible to earn as much as $1 million in Schedule A bonuses and up to $2.5 million in Schedule B bonuses each season. Those bonuses are tied to on-ice performance goals and individual honors such as All-Star Game selections and postseason award recognition.
The 18-year-old McKenna had been widely viewed as the clear-cut top prospect heading into the draft following a dominant debut season at Penn State. Playing left wing, he racked up 51 points — 15 goals and 36 assists — across just 35 games as a freshman.
McKenna also suited up for Team Canada at the World Junior Championships, contributing 14 points (four goals and 10 assists) in seven games as Canada claimed the bronze medal.
Originally from Whitehorse, Yukon, McKenna joins a short list of players taken first overall by Toronto. The only other Maple Leafs players to hold that distinction are Wendel Clark, selected in 1985, and Auston Matthews, chosen in 2016.
