Auston Matthews: The only untouchable player in Toronto, according to the rumors (and that’s ridiculous)

Rumors surrounding the Toronto Maple Leafs are gaining momentum.

You might say it was to be expected…

What's it all about this time? Well, it involves the team's captain, Auston Matthews. What a surprise (or not)…!

According to Chris Johnston, several NHL teams have reportedly received a very clear message from Leafs management: everyone is potentially available… except Auston Matthews.

If this is true and the Leafs really want to keep him in town, the fact that Matthews is the only untouchable player confirms that he remains the face of the franchise and the cornerstone of the project.

The team captain continues to be regarded as one of the best players on the planet, both for his offensive production and his overall impact on the game… even though we know the last two years have been more challenging offensively.

Chris Johnston: Re Maple Leafs: One of the things I've been told by other teams…the message that's come out from their front office is they're willing to discuss any players on their roster except Auston Matthews – Chris Johnston Show (5/19)

— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) May 20, 2026

This kind of statement also sends an important message to the rest of the league: Toronto seems ready to seriously listen to offers in order to transform the identity of its team.

And you know what?

Even if Johnston thinks that way… I get the impression the door is still open for a possible departure by Matthews. He's the one who'll make the decision, after all… and if he wants to leave the Leafs to go win elsewhere, there will be a ton of teams interested in his services.

No doubt about that.

That said, there are other players like Matthew Knies, Morgan Rielly, William Nylander, or even John Tavares whose names could also be floating around in all sorts of trade scenarios over the next few weeks. Again, things could get busy in Toronto… and it makes you wonder what the club will do with the first overall pick heading into the next draft.

Could that encourage management to keep the current roster intact and try to win now with their first overall pick? Maybe… but that would be surprising to me.