Gavin McKenna’s Jersey Number Change for the Toronto Maple Leafs Season

Toronto Maple Leafs’ top draft pick, Gavin McKenna, is gearing up for the upcoming season with some significant changes. After participating in the team’s development camp, a big adjustment awaits him this fall—changing his jersey number.

During his time with the Western Hockey League’s Medicine Hat Tigers and at Penn State, McKenna sported the No. 72. Fans expected he would carry this number into his time with the Leafs; many have already purchased jersey No. 72 bearing his name.

This situation was complicated by the Leafs signing of two-time Stanley Cup champion goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Bobrovsky, known for wearing No. 72 throughout his career except for his first two seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers, now faces a jersey number conflict with the newcomer.

Determining who would wear No. 72 posed a question. Would the team prioritize their first-round pick or defer to the established champion Bobrovsky?

The decision was made for McKenna to change his number. He will don No. 92 this season. McKenna had limited options, as adding 7 and 2 gives 9, already retired in honor of Charlie Conacher and Ted Kennedy. Flipping the digits to wear No. 27 was out, too—retired for Frank Mahovlich and Darryl Sittler.

Thus, 92 is McKenna’s choice. He reached out to Jeff O’Neill, one of the few former players who wore No. 92, to ensure it was acceptable. O’Neill was agreeable.

McKenna is expected to be a pivotal player as the Maple Leafs aim to recover from a poor 2025-26 performance, which saw them finishing last in the Atlantic Division.