It’s hard to ignore the chemistry that the Nashville Predators’ 2025 fifth overall pick, Brady Martin, and potential 2026 No. 1 overall pick, Gavin McKenna, have developed in Minneapolis.
The pair have skated on the first line for Team Canada at the 2026 World Junior Championship and have powered Canada to an undefeated stint in preliminary play.
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The duo has combined for five goals, with McKenna emerging as one of the top scorers in the tournament. The Penn State freshman has eight points (three goals, five assists) in four games. Martin follows closely with seven points (three goals, four assists) in four games.
Three of Martin’s four points came off assists to McKenna’s hat trick in Canada’s 9-1 win over Denmark.
While his production has dropped off since making the move from the WHL to the NCAA, recording 129 points (41 goals, 88 assists) in 56 games last season to 18 points (four goals, 14 assists) in 16 games this year, McKenna is still projected to be a top 3 pick.
Through the first two months of the season, it looked like the Nashville Predators were going to get a solid chance at landing the top pick in the draft, sitting at 6-12-4 and dead last in the NHL prior to Thanksgiving.
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Last year, the Predators had their best result in the draft lottery since 2013, landing the fifth overall pick and drafting Martin.
However, with the Predators now on a run, winning 12 of 17 and pushing for the final Wild Card spot in the West, the odds for a high draft pick are looking low. General Manager Barry Trotz has also signaled before that while in a rebuild, the Predators aren’t ready to start tanking.
So is there still a chance that the Martin/McKenna duo can reunite in Nashville?
Tankathon, a popular mock draft engine, has the Predators landing around picks 9 and 10, with a few possibilities of them jumping to the No. 2 or even No. 1 overall pick. The simulation with Nashville picking No. 1 overall has it selecting McKenna.
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With the Predators playing well, the odds have shifted more toward the Vancouver Canucks to land the No. 1 overall pick and McKenna getting selected.
There’s still half the season yet, so things could easily change for the Predators. At the same time, they could make a big jump in the lottery.
The New York Islanders, finishing 22nd in the 2024-25 standings, had a 3% chance to land the top pick and ended up doing so. The Predators, who finished 30th in the standings, had an 11.5% chance to get the first overall pick.
Dec 31, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, UNITED STATES; Canada forward Gavin McKenna (9) in action against Finland during the second period in group play during the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship at 3M Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
Currently, the Predators are 24th in the NHL standings, and if the season ended today, they’d have a 5% chance of landing the top pick.
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There’s also the option of trading for the No. 1 overall pick. However, Trotz has said that when it comes to the Predators star players, they’re going to want a lot in return.
It is unlikely that the Predators would trade a Ryan O’Reilly, Steven Stamkos or top player to land McKenna. That deal would need to be packaged with a top-six player.
At the end of the day, outside of making a massive trade, the lottery will dictate the Predators’ fate in making the Martin/McKenna duo a reality.
Nashville has never drafted at No. 1 and got short-shafted last season. However, the lottery has shown that anyone with a chance to land the top pick has a chance.
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As for the Predators’ success on the ice and the rebuild, if this team continues to play well and win, chances are that they won’t want or need McKenna. Their current corps is finally winning and they’ll ride with that for as long as they can.
