Maple Leafs Expert Makes Bizarre Suggestion About Losing for Gavin McKenna

Maple Leafs Analyst Makes Bold ‘Team Tank’ Declaration Amid Team Struggles

The mood surrounding the Toronto Maple Leafs couldn’t be much lower right now. Year one without Mitch Marnerwas supposed to usher in a cultural shift, empowering the team’s remaining stars to take greater control. Instead, the Leafs find themselves in chaos — lacking identity, leaking goals, and now dealing with mounting injuries to key players.

Despite a middling 8-8-1 record, the numbers disguise how poorly Toronto has performed. Their play has been sloppy, their defence inconsistent, and frustration is starting to boil over — both inside and outside the locker room.

Leafs analyst JD Bunkis made his stance clear on Leafs Talk following the team’s 5-3 loss to the Boston Bruins, offering a take that shocked fans:

“I’m formally announcing that I’m just a member of Team Tank. Get into the bottom five, try to get McKenna. We’re 17 games in, I’m Team Tank all the way. Go get the Yukon boy, go get the stallion, go get the chosen one.”

Bunkis was referring to Gavin McKenna, the 17-year-old phenom widely projected to go first overall in the 2026 NHL Draft. The forward, currently starring at Penn State, has tallied 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in just 12 games and is considered a generational prospect.

However, there’s one glaring issue — the Leafs don’t currently own their 2026 first-round pick, having traded it to Boston in last year’s deal for Brandon Carlo. The pick is top-five protected, meaning Toronto would only retain it if they somehow finished among the NHL’s worst teams — an unlikely scenario, even with their current woes.

Tanking for McKenna: A Risky Proposition

The idea of deliberately bottoming out for McKenna — or any top prospect — would have sounded absurd to Leafs fans just a month ago. But as frustration mounts, the notion has gained traction among some corners of the fanbase.

Still, the plan is fraught with risk. Even if Toronto fell into the bottom five, the draft lottery could easily push them out of a top selection. Trading back into that position would require significant assets, and few teams would be willing to deal such a valuable pick.

Ultimately, the Leafs simply have too much talent to tank. Even when playing below their standard, their roster is strong enough to hover around .500 hockey — far from lottery contention.

For now, JD Bunkis’ “Team Tank” declaration may best be seen as a reflection of the growing frustration surrounding a team that was supposed to contend, not collapse.