Auston Matthews wouldn’t want to stay for a rebuild

Raphael Simard
Auston Matthews wouldn’t want to stay for a rebuild
Credit: X

The Maple Leafs will have a lot of questions to answer during the offseason.

And those questions start with the GM and the coach. Will the person who takes over for Brad Treliving also replace Craig Berube?

Probably not if it's Doug Armstrong, who worked alongside Berube in St. Louis…

And what about captain Auston Matthews' future in all this?

It seems the American wouldn't want to stay if the Leafs were heading into a rebuild. At least, he hasn't given any indication that he wants to stay… That's what reporter Michael Distefano revealed.

Matthews is at a point in his career where he wants to win, and unless the 2025–2026 season is a blip, the Leafs are headed for a painful rebuild.

Especially if the team's first-round pick in 2026 goes to the Boston Bruins. And that possibility currently stands at 56.2%.

(Credit: Tankathon)

Toronto still has some solid players. Besides Matthews, there's still William Nylander, John Tavares, and Morgan Rielly—though they're not getting any younger.

The young talent isn't the best either, but Toronto has players with strong potential, such as Matthew Knies and Easton Cowan, among others.

Clearly, the window to win the Cup has passed, and Matthews won't be patient. He has two seasons left at an average salary of $13.25 million annually before becoming an unrestricted free agent and breaking the bank again.

Will it be in Toronto? The next GM will have to be very convincing…


In a nutshell

– He doesn't have a contract in hand for next season.

– Josh Anderson.

– We'll see.

– I guess so.

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