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This is the Maple Leafs' Cooper Flagg, LeBron James moment
TL;DR
The Toronto Maple Leafs secured the No. 1 overall pick in the draft lottery, allowing them to potentially select Gavin McKenna. This moment is being compared to significant historical sports events due to its rarity and potential impact.
Key points
- Toronto Maple Leafs had fifth-best lottery odds
- They secured the No. 1 overall pick
- Gavin McKenna is a highly touted prospect
Gavin McKennaToronto Maple Leafs
This is the Maple Leafs' Cooper Flagg, LeBron James moment originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Some draft lotteries are forgotten. Some go down in history.
This is one of the latter. The Toronto Maple Leafs entered Tuesday night with the fifth-best lottery odds. They left it with the No. 1 overall pick and the right to draft Gavin McKenna.
If McKenna is indeed the pick, and if the young Canadian is even close to as good as advertised, this will be luck that has only been matched a few times in sports.
It's more than just good fortune, though. When the Sharks got Macklin Celebrini, or the Oilers got Connor McDavid, or the Penguins got Sidney Crosby, that was good fortune, too.
This has another layer to it. There's an element of circumstance overlapping with the fortune.
The most recent example came in the NBA, when only months after the absurd trading away of Luka Doncic, the Dallas Mavericks won the lottery and got the right to draft Cooper Flagg even though they were slated to land outside the top-10 picks.
The NBA is famous for these kind of moments, the ones that make you say the lottery was rigged.
Oh, sure, the Cleveland Cavaliers won the lottery the year the kid from Akron, , was in the draft.
Q&A
What does the Maple Leafs' No. 1 pick mean for Gavin McKenna?
The Maple Leafs' No. 1 pick allows them to draft Gavin McKenna, who is highly regarded and could significantly impact the team's future.
How rare is it for a team to move from fifth to first in the draft lottery?
Moving from fifth to first in the draft lottery is a rare occurrence, making this moment historically significant for the Maple Leafs.
What are the implications of the Maple Leafs drafting Gavin McKenna?
Drafting Gavin McKenna could enhance the Maple Leafs' roster and competitiveness, potentially altering their trajectory in the NHL.