Rumor Corner: The chances of Auston Matthews leaving Toronto are 50/50.

DansLesCoulisses.com
Rumor Corner: The chances of Auston Matthews leaving Toronto are 50/50.
Credit: Capture d'écran/Twitter

The Maple Leafs' situation is catastrophic. They are flirting with the bottom of the Atlantic Division standings, and their situation does not seem likely to improve in the future.

It is at times like these that some teams resort to the nuclear option: trading their best players.

Pierre LeBrun discussed Auston Matthews' future with the Leafs in a recent article published on the website of The Athletic and it is quite interesting to see that, even if this option is not 100% certain, it could be considered.
NEW for @TheAthletic: The NHL trade deadline may not have delivered many fireworks, but it sets up a potentially explosive summer. Some big names perhaps. ⤵⤵https://t.co/cjvfSZjoGm via @NYTimes

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) March 9, 2026

LeBrun believes the chances of Auston Matthews leaving Toronto are 50/50. In other words: it's not a sure thing, but there's still a chance.

Matthews' camp and the Leafs haven't discussed the player's future since the start of the season, but that discussion will likely take place during the offseason, according to LeBrun.

Matthews still has a contract worth $13.25 million on Toronto's payroll until the end of the 2027-2028 season. If Toronto doesn't get back on track, it's hard to believe that the American will want to extend his deal.

You also have to understand the Toronto management. They want the team to get better again, but the idea of a long rebuild is not in their plans. They want to keep good players on the roster to sell tickets.

Robert Thomas was not asked to waive his no-trade clause. One of the biggest stories leading up to the trade deadline was that of Robert Thomas. The Blues are struggling, and he is a quality center that virtually every team in the NHL would want on their roster.

Montreal was mentioned in rumors about him for a long time, but several other teams were also in the mix.

Despite all that, it doesn't appear that any trade was close to happening. In an interview on The Sheet podcast with Jeff Marek, Thomas explained that the Blues did not ask him to waive his no-trade clause. In a tweet, Robert Thomas said he was not asked to waive his no-trade clause. @wyshynski | The Sheet with @JeffMarek https://t.co/PjvTV6hRHc

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) March 9, 2026
Thomas has a full no-trade clause, which means the Blues would have needed his approval to trade him to any NHL team.

So either Thomas is telling the truth and no trade was close to happening, or he wants to avoid the problems Colton Parayko experienced with his potential trade to the Sabres.

Regardless, teams will likely start calling the Blues again this summer to discuss Robert Thomas.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi considered by Vancouver

The Canucks, despite being at the bottom of the overall standings, attempted to acquire a center at the trade deadline.

Elliotte Friedman explained on his podcast 32 Thoughts that Vancouver tried to acquire Jesperi Kotkaniemi in a trade with the Hurricanes.

With only nine points this season and a $4.82 million per season contract, it's hard to believe that any team would want to acquire the Finnish player.

The worst part is that his contract doesn't expire until the end of the 2029-2030 season.

The Canucks will likely have another chance to acquire Kotkaniemi, especially if they can free Carolina from this contract. However, we can expect a very low return.


In a nutshell

– That would be intense.

– That's hilarious!

— Laurent Ciman has been introduced as assistant coach of FC Supra.

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