Auston Matthews: Three teams are already linked to the situation

Vincent Larue
Auston Matthews: Three teams are already linked to the situation
Credit: Capture d'écran/Twitter

Auston Matthews may have been the face of the Maple Leafs for years, but there's a sense that a cycle is coming to an end in Toronto.

Because we're talking about a player who is slowly starting to run out of reasons to believe… and with good reason. The Leafs have been circling the same problem for several seasons now, and despite all the changes, the result often remains the same.

This season was even the worst in a while for the Toronto team.

The topic was discussed on Marco D'Amico and Greg Lanctot's “Sur le marché” podcast, where David Pagnotta joined to talk about the future of the Leafs' star and what they'll need to do to convince him to stay.

“If July 15 rolls around and they've only signed a fourth-line winger and a fourth-pair defenseman, the writing will be on the wall.” – David Pagnotta

Let's just say that sets the tone right away.

According to Pagnotta, Matthews wants to wait until mid-July before making a decision about his future. He wants to see what the Leafs do this summer. And honestly, that's understandable.

Toronto has certainly just won the lottery and will most likely land Gavin McKenna. On paper, that's huge. A potential once-in-a-generation talent. But it doesn't solve all the problems of a team that's been going in circles for years.

Pagnotta explained it well: the Leafs need to practically rebuild several key parts of their roster. He's talking about the third line, the fourth line, and the blue line.

Because if Toronto doesn't make a clean sweep and tangibly improve its team, Matthews might start looking elsewhere for real.

Just a few days ago, Matthews had already sounded rather skeptical when asked about his future. It wasn't exactly the reassuring speech you'd normally hear from a star player.

It sounds more like a player who wants to see if his team is actually capable of winning.

If that's not the case, suitors will be lining up soon.

He's even been spotted chatting with Connor McDavid:

Pagnotta named the Kings as a logical fit. Honestly, it's a perfect match. A competitive team, less media pressure than in Toronto, and an organization still looking to improve its offense.

But Utah and Seattle were also mentioned.

Yes, Utah.

The idea might seem strange today, but with their young talent and assets, they'd likely have the pieces to pull off a blockbuster trade before Matthews' contract expires in two seasons.

The more this story unfolds, the more we realize that a departure for Matthews might not be as impossible as it once was.


In a nutshell

– A first for everything.

– The Charge in the final.

– Heartwarming.

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