“I’ve heard that Auston Matthews isn’t having much fun in Toronto.”

Félix Forget
“I’ve heard that Auston Matthews isn’t having much fun in Toronto.”
Credit: Screenshot/Twitter

The Maple Leafs are not having a great season. The club, which lost Mitch Marner last summer, has tried to make up for its loss… but the results aren't incredible so far.

The 18-15-6 record isn't terrible… but seeing them in sixth place in the Atlantic is a far cry from their standards in recent years.

And to explain that, we can turn to Auston Matthews. The latter has just 15 goals and 27 points in 33 games, which is a good step back from what he's done in the past.

The loss of Marner and injuries are factors that may explain this… but according to Jason Gregor, who discussed it on Sports 1440, there may be another element at play:

I hear Auston Matthews isn't having much fun in Toronto. – Jason Gregor

Gregor then implied that if a player is unhappy somewhere, you have to wonder if his time is numbered with that team. And that, we agree, would be big news.

Matthews is in the second year of a four-year contract that pays him $13.25 million a year. But if Gregor's story is true, maybe he'll leave Toronto before then.

And after losing Marner, trading Matthews could signal the start of a rebuilding process in Toronto.

We're still a long way from such an outcome, of course, but we sense that what's been happening with Matthews over the past few months is peculiar. He's not performing up to his potential… and you have to wonder if that's because he's unhappy in Toronto.

But with his more difficult performances of late, you have to wonder if the Leafs would be in a position to trade him at full value. But that's another hypothetical scenario.


Overtime

– Why not?

– Interesting.

– Nice win for Switzerland.

– Lions win in Trois-Rivières.

facebook icon Share twitter icon Tweet linkedin icon Share
Copied!