One team plotting a high-stakes gamble to win the Gavin McKenna sweepstakes!

Young prodigy Gavin McKenna will be eligible for the next NHL Draft and is already projected to go first overall, and even before the season starts, a few teams are already well-positioned to get their hands on the player who will suit up for Penn State in 2025–2026.

One team in Pennsylvania is in fact rumored to be ready to go all-in in the McKenna sweepstakes. According to several experts, including sources thats spoke to RG.org, the Pittsburgh Penguins are expected to have a rough season on the ice, likely missing the playoffs for a fourth consecutive year.

If that scenario plays out, many expect general manager Kyle Dubas to hold a full-fledged “fire sale.”

“I expect the Penguins to do everything in their power to get into the top-3 of the 2026 Draft, “said a source close to the situation. “It’s Malkin’s last year, Crosby rumors swirling, and no immediate help to their roster. The writing is on the wall. The question is just: ‘Will they wait to the NHL Trade Deadline, or sell off early to try to beat out Chicago and San Jose to the bottom?”

Indeed, the Blackhawks and the Sharks are seen by many observers as “favorites” in the race for McKenna, as expectations for both teams are grim. In Pittsburgh, Dubas appears to be considering moving several pieces. Erik Karlsson, Bryan Rust, and Rickard Rakell have recently surfaced in trade chatter, most recently with the veteran defenseman Karlsson linked to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

According to many pundits and insiders, McKenna is expected to hear his name called first overall in the 2026 Draft and GM Dubas seems ready to go everything he can to be the one to announce his name. Last season, McKenna racked up 129 points in 56 games with the Medicine Hat Tigers in the Western Hockey League and could be seen as the next Sidney Crosby in the NHL. And what better way to start off his career with the Penguins as well.