Ranking No. 1 NHL Draft picks since 2000: How Gavin McKenna compares to Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid

Ranking No. 1 NHL Draft picks since 2000: How Gavin McKenna compares to Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid The Maple Leafs are widely expected to take McKenna with Friday night's No. 1 overall pick By Austin Nivison Jun 26, 2026 at 9:04 am ET • 12 min read Add CBS Sports on Google Getty Images On Friday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs will make a franchise-altering decision with the No.

1 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Barring a shocker, that selection will be Penn State winger Gavin McKenna, and the Leafs can only hope he follows in the footsteps of other No. 1 picks in the 21st century.

For the most part, the consensus draft boards have gotten it right when it comes to the top prospect in each draft since 2000, although there have been a few notable selections. Players like Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid have exceeded the hype they received going into their respective drafts.More recently, Macklin Celebrini and Matthew Schaefer have delivered on the expectations of a No.

1 overall pick, even if they don't have long track records. Can McKenna make it three straight instant superstars at the top of the draft? Darren Raddysh trade grades: Have the Maple Leafs acquired their new No.

1 defenseman? Austin Nivison As we get set to watch McKenna walk across the stage in Buffalo, let's take a look back on how each No. 1 pick in the 21st century has panned out.

We included McKenna in the mix to provide a baseline of what fans could expect from him as a rookie in 2026-27, even if we won't know his true ceiling until he hits the ice. 26. Nail Yakupov | C | Oilers (2012)Let's give NHL general managers some credit.

It's rare to find a complete whiff at No. 1 overall, but this was one of them. Yakupov played just 350 career games, totaling 62 goals and 74 assists.

He did, however, give us one of the most preposterous celebrations in a regular-season game of all-time. For that, he will be remembered forever.25.

Rick DiPietro | G | Islanders (2000)There's a reason you rarely see goaltenders get drafted this early. That position is incredibly volatile, and it's tough to project exactly how goalies will develop. DiPietro was certainly a cautionary tale in that regard.

The Islanders selected DiPietro after a dominant freshman season at Boston University, but his career never really got off the ground due to injuries and poor performance. DiPietro won just 130 games in 318 appearances before retiring.24.

Owen Power | D | Sabres (2021) Owen Power BUF • D • #25 Goals27Assists113Points140 View Profile It's very easy to see why Power went No. 1 overall in 2021. His combination of size (6-foot-6) and mobility was -- and is -- incredibly tantalizing.

Still, Power hasn't ascended to the status of a top-pairing defenseman, let alone a true No. 1 option. There's hope that it can still happen.

Just look at Power's teammate, Rasmus Dahlin, who took a few seasons to hit his stride. For now, though, Power hasn't quite lived up to the hype. 23.

Erik Johnson | D | Blues (2006) Erik Johnson COL • D • #6 Goals95Assists253Points348 View Profile Johnson had a long and successful career, but he never justified the Blues selecting him at No. 1 overall in 2006, especially with future Hall of Famer Jonathan Toews going just two picks later. St.

Louis traded Johnson to Colorado just three seasons into his tenure with the Blues. Johnson was a reliable defender who played over 1,000 games, and he won a Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2022.22.

Alexis Lafreniere | RW | Rangers (2020) Alexis Lafreniere NYR • LW • #13 Goals116Assists134Points250 View Profile Things just haven't panned out for Lafreniere, who has yet to top 57 points in six seasons, after being considered the top prospect in 2020. Lafreniere is a productive second-line winger, but that's not what the Rangers were hoping for, and his name has come up in trade rumors over the last year. Tim Stutzle, Lucas Raymond, Jake Sanderson, Anton Lundell and Seth Jarvis all came off the board in that first round.

21. Juraj Slafkovsky | RW | Canadiens (2022) Juraj Slafkovsky MON • LW • #20 Goals72Assists112Points184 View Profile When Slafkovsky was struggling to find his footing in the NHL earlier in his career, it was easy to forget how young he was. Following a breakout season, the 22-year-old Slafkovsky is back on track to become what the Canadiens expected when they selected him at No.

1 overall. The young Slovakian potted 30 goals and added 43 assists in 82 games, and he was part of a dynamite top line in Montreal. Now, the goal for Slafkovsky is stringing a couple of great seasons together.

20. Gavin McKenna | C | Maple Leafs (2026)This feels like a fair baseline for McKenna, at least to start. Last season, he overcame a slow start at Penn State and finished with 15 goals and 36 assists in 35 games.

As is the case with many rookie forwards, McKenna will have some work to do on his game without the puck, but there's no doubt that he can make magic happen when the puck is on his stick. He should ma