The Toronto Maple Leafs could be facing a franchise-changing decision in the near future, and it might not be what they want to do.
Auston Matthews has been the Leafs' most important player ever since he was selected first overall at the 2016 NHL Draft. He has now broken franchise records, becoming the team's all-time leading goalscorer, besting his now boss Mats Sundin's previous high; and has just been the cornerstone of Toronto hockey for the last decade.
But it could be all coming to an end as soon as this summer, if we're reading the latest reports right.
Auston Matthews uncertain about his future with Maple Leafs
On Tuesday morning, Chris Johnston published an article at The Athletic about how the "clock is ticking" for Matthews in Toronto and there is one sentence that really should terrify a whole lot of Leafs fans.
"Matthews has two years remaining on his contract, but still isn’t sure if he’ll be back in Toronto in the fall, according to league sources," Johnston wrote Tuesday morning.
The rest of the article is about the Maple Leafs handing the keys over to John Chayka -- who was officially announced as the team's new general manager on Sunday -- as the head of hockey operations and what he envisions for the future of this team. But, according to Johnston's sources, the most important thing could be out of his control.
Because, after all, the most important thing for the Leafs is keeping Matthews in blue and white. And justifiably, the elite center does have some concerns about the direction of the Leafs right now after a miserable season where we are now hoping for some draft lottery balls to go in our favour or else we hand a top-7 draft pick over to a division rival -- look, another reason for Matthews to be concerned.
But there is a path forward, as Johnston also mentions what Matthews wants to see from this front office.
"The only sales pitch Matthews needs at this stage is real action, according to league sources. Before committing to another season in Toronto, he wants to see a roster that has been meaningfully upgraded through trades and free agency. This isn’t about selling him on a fancy 12-point plan or a bunch of vague promises. Seeing is believing," Johnston wrote.
It is going to take some actual, tangible moves for the rumours of Matthews wanting to leave Toronto to calm down. Firing Craig Berube could be one, adding some more offensive, puckmoving talent on the blue line could be another. There just needs to be actual moves that set this team on the right path to making the playoffs next season.
But, we're still scared until we see those moves, too.
Add us as a preferred source on Google