As the Toronto Maple Leafs transition into becoming sellers at this season's trade deadline, many had speculation of Auston Matthews would leave the Maple Leafs following the end of his contract or request a trade as the Maple Leafs are looking to retool. There were reports from insiders such as Nick Kypreos; however, Elliotte Friedman shut those rumours down quickly, giving Maple Leaf fans a sigh of relief.
During a recent episode of 32 Thoughts The Podcast Friedman noted, “He made a long-term commitment to Toronto a few years ago, and even with a tough season, he isn’t interested in breaking that commitment. “I don’t think Auston is going anywhere. I don’t think he has a desire to go anywhere.”
🚨 Auston Matthews remains fully committed to the Leafs and isn’t expected to come up in trade talks, even if the Leafs choose to sell. He made a long-term commitment to Toronto a few years ago, and even with a tough season, he isn’t interested in breaking that commitment. “I… pic.twitter.com/OowrcgIWRI
— Leafslatest (@Leafslatest) January 31, 2026
Auston Matthews want to be a Maple Leaf
This is great news for both the fans and the management staff. Auston Matthews is the face of the franchise and will be for the coming years. Matthews can very well become the best Maple Leaf of all time if he remains with the club for the rest of his career. Matthews has had an up-and-down campaign; however, as of late, he has seemed to kick it into gear despite the Maple Leafs struggles.
Following a 5-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken, reporters brought up the idea of the Maple Leafs turning into sellers ahead of the trade deadline. Matthews responded with “I mean, you kind of leave that up to the management." "For us, it’s about the next game. It’s about winning and starting to put ourselves in a much better position than we are now." This quote symbolizes that Matthews has not quit in the Leafs organization and is determined to being apart of the solution, not the problem. This season has clearly not gone the way many expected, but hearing this from your captain is almost the best-case scenario.
Upcoming for the Maple Leafs and Matthews
The next period of time will be interesting for the Maple Leafs and their fans to see what direction they best see fit moving forward. The good news around all this is that it seems Auston Matthews wants to be a Maple Leaf and wants to be a part of the organization long term. The Maple Leafs are set to continue their road trip against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night as we are nearing the Olympic break.