The Toronto Maple Leafs have had a lot of rumours swirling around their organization as of late, and that is for good measure; they failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in a decade, and with the newly hired general manager, John Chayka and senior executive advisor Mats Sundin, many are unsure of what the Maple Leafs could look like heading into next season.
If one thing is certain, it is that William Nylander is going to be a Toronto Maple Leaf heading into the beginning of next season. He has undoubtedly been the team's best player over the course of the previous two seasons, and with Auston Matthews not sure of his future, the team will have to begin to look to build around the Swedish forward.
Auston Matthews hasn't committed to the Maple Leafs long-term
According to NHL insider Chris Johnston of The Athletic, Auston Matthews has not yet committed to playing for the Maple Leafs next season, leaving a potential massive hole in their roster.
While Matthews is under contract for the next two seasons, the American forward could look to leave the organization before his contract comes to an end. The Maple Leafs captain is reportedly waiting to see "meaningful improvements" before looking to stick around long-term. If he doesn't see the improvements he was anticipating, his tenure with the Maple Leafs would likely come to an end relatively soon.
For starters, John Chayka is going to listen and try his best to please number 34; however, that may not be the correct way to go. Matthews is clearly not the player he once was, and with William Nylander under contract for the foreseeable future, it may be in the best interest of the organization to look to see what he believes fits best moving forward.
Nylander, this past season, despite the Maple Leafs struggles and lack of offensive production, led the way for the team. Playing just 65 games and struggling with injuries in the latter part of the season, he was able to register 79 points, including another 30-goal campaign, while their captain had the worst season of his career, not even surpassing the 30-goal plateau.
William Nylander remains the face of the fanchise
With both Nylander and Matthews being stars in the NHL and the two faces of the Maple Leafs organization, I can assume the two are going to speak with the management staff on improvements, they both think are for the best.
What should scare Maple Leafs fans is that even if the Maple Leafs have another losing season, but improve the team the way Matthews best sees fit, he can very quickly turn around and demand a trade heading into the final year of his contract, leaving Nylander as the face of the franchise.
It could be the safest bet for John Chayka and Mats Sundin to build the team around Nylander moving forward, instead of hoping that the Leafs play well next season to please Auston Matthews. With how Matthews has been playing over the past two seasons, he hasn't been a player who should and can demand these changes, especially if he is ready to pack up and head out of Toronto.
Add us as a preferred source on Google