The Toronto Maple Leafs' offseason rumour mill has been buzzing for quite some time now, but it appears that some of the fog has finally been lifted surrounding Auston Matthews and his future.
After weeks of hearing speculation that maybe the Maple Leafs might be willing to do something drastic after their dismal season, Leafs Morning Take host Nick Alberga shot back at the increasingly vocal belief that Matthews wanted out of Toronto.
Matthews more likely to stay than leave Toronto
He cited a number of reports, specifically those coming from David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, who has continuously stressed that Matthews is not trying to leave the organization. All the noise and drama from the team missing the playoffs and clearing out their front office hasn't changed the sentiment that he wishes to stay in Toronto and win.
.@TheFourthPeriod has been all over this Matthews situation for weeks now.
— Nick Alberga (@thegoldenmuzzy) May 22, 2026
In short, it's unlikely he's going anywhere this summer. He likes playing in Toronto, he wants to win in Toronto.
Like any star player, he just wants to know what the plan is. Along the way, the…
This is crucial because somewhere over the last little while, it became an insane discussion that was far from the original intention. What started out as simple inquiries about communication between a superstar player and an incoming management group turned into speculation about whether Matthews was plotting an exit. This does not sound like this was ever the case, though.
Matthews, much like any other franchise player, just wanted to understand the direction of the organization under the new management of John Chayka and Mats Sundin. When a team structurally fell apart, missed the playoffs entirely, and fired most of their front office, it would be perfectly normal to question the future. Especially for a player right at their peak.
The problem became that when this was leaked, the rumours started to ramp up and stretch every single comment or report further than it likely ever went. This prompted his camp to apparently attempt to clean up the messaging over the past few weeks and make it known that he wants to remain with the Maple Leafs.
That is not to say major change is not coming. Major change will undoubtedly be in store for this team, it just is unlikely to include Matthews, contrary to popular belief.
Morgan Rielly continues to pop up in trade speculation, and it seems pretty obvious to anyone reading this that Chayka has a desire to drastically retool this roster. Amidst all this, Matthews still seems to be a focal point of their future plans. This does not sound like a superstar looking for a way out but rather looking to see what the next iteration of the Maple Leafs will be.
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