Maple Leafs shouldn’t be surprised by Auston Matthews' response about future

Toronto Maple Leafs hoped that Thursday’s media availability would shed some more clarity on the situation surrounding the team.

In particular, the main sticking point is captain Auston Matthews’ future. Fans were hoping that the 28-year-old would come out and practically deliver an official comment on his future.

But he didn’t. Instead, he stuck to a canned answer.

Yes, he’s right. He can’t predict the future. If he could, we wouldn’t be playing hockey. He’d be in a room somewhere talking to generals and politicians about their next moves. Tycoons would pay him billions for advice on when to buy and when to sell stocks.

What Matthews did was comment the way parties would during ongoing court proceedings. He couldn’t say anything that would tip his hand one way or another. If Matthews had come out and said, “It was nice knowing you,” that would have essentially forced the Maple Leafs to trade him.

By the same token, if he had said, “I’m not ever leaving. I love Toronto, and I’m not budging from my no-trade clause,” he would zap any leverage he or the Leafs might have during trade negotiations.

But there’s something a little deeper. You see, Matthews knows how powerful his comments can be, and they could derail next season for the Maple Leafs even before it begins. If he hints at leaving and then stays, he becomes a distraction. If he signals he’s staying, but then gets traded, that could trash all credibility in the team.

It’s a fine needle both the Maple Leafs and Matthews are looking to thread. The best thing was to say nothing at all.

I will say this. Judging from Matthews’ tone of voice and demeanor, the entire situation has gotten to him. He looks like someone who’s clearly tired of dealing with a situation. He didn’t snap at reporters because he’s a gentleman. He could have just easily told everyone to go jump in a lake and leave him alone.

At the end of the day, Matthews hopes everyone will forget about him for the summer. The next administration, if they plan on keeping him, will have to do their best to insulate Matthews. Being the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs is a tough job. It’s like being the face of a massive corporation like Amazon or Meta.

He did the right thing on Thursday by avoiding a major admission. But make no mistake, Matthews, like the rest of the team, is not in a good place mentally. The organization will need to have a summer retreat where they go somewhere in the mountains, hold hands, tell stories around the campfire, and go skinny dipping in a lake as a means of bonding.

The team needs a major reset, and it’s unclear whether that can come with most of the current core still in place.

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