The U.S.-born superstars of today's NHL are banding together in mutiny to demand their way out of markets they no longer find desirable. Two notable examples this offseason are Dylan Larkin and Zach Werenski, who asked to be dealt from underperforming American markets where they're currently rostered in search of greener pastures.
Another duo that found salvation in a trade is Matthew Tkachuk and Quinn Hughes, who were dealt from their Canadian markets in search of a homecoming south of the border. Perhaps the most notable deal this offseason was Brady Tkachuk getting his wish to depart as the Senators' captain and join his brother in South Florida.
The most recent request comes from 3x Vezina Award-winning goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who reportedly asked GM Kevin Cheveldayoff months ago to be dealt. Without any traction on a deal, Hellebuyck went public with what felt more like a trade demand as the season inches closer to opening day. Speculation about why Hellebuyck wanted out could stem from both a lack of belief in the Jets' current makeup and a desire to return to his home country.
With most of these requests coming in less than a calendar year, many hockey fans are wondering if their US-born superstar could be the next one to demand a move elsewhere as well. Auston Matthews is perhaps the most notable name on this list, and with only two years left on his current deal, this upcoming season will be pivotal in pitching him on an extension.
Leafs fans don't want to head into a contract year with yet another disgruntled star player only to see him walk away for pennies on the dollar, or worse, lose them in free agency for nothing at all. Matthews has publicly said that he enjoys his time in Toronto, but after the Olympic break last season, which many claim birthed this anti-Canadian movement amongst the American players, Leafs fans everywhere are quietly wondering whether Matthews may be eager to get out himself.
But is there anything beyond team success and location that is keeping Matthews here? We're not simple creatures, after all. Some of our reasons for choosing to remain where we are come from sincere admiration for what it is we do and where we do it. Uprooting your entire life can strain your relationships with the community you once knew. And is loyalty in such short supply that obligation now takes a backseat to our every desire?
The three-component model of commitment
In 1990, two PhD researchers (Allen and Meyer) at the University of Western Ontario published a paper exploring three components of an individual's commitment to an organization, titled "The measurement and antecedents of affective, continuance and normative commitment to the organization." Doesn't really have the same ring as Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The model breaks down an individual's loyalty into three distinct components: Affective (wants to stay), Continuance (needs to stay), and Normative (ought to stay).
According to some of the literature cited in the case study, the most common reason an individual chooses to remain with an organization is emotional attachment. This is, after all, the organization that drafted Matthews, and it's not just Leafs fans who feel the pulsating energy he's injected into this city throughout his entire career; it's Matthews himself, who, as a young man entering the league, has been shaped by this city into the man he is today.
In 2016, for the second time in franchise history, the Leafs held the first overall pick, which eventually became Auston Matthews. Their first, in 1985, became Wendell Clark, whom 24% of Leafs fans voted the face of the franchise in a poll TSN ran earlier this year. Clark ended up beating out Dave Keon and Mats Sundin. Despite only being 10 years into his career, Matthews tied for 4th place, grabbing 12% of the votes alongside Leafs legends Doug Gilmour and Darryl Sittler.
TSN analyst Mike Johnson was one of those who voted for Auston Matthews, calling him "the greatest offensive player to ever play for the Toronto Maple Leafs."
From his historic first career game, when he scored four goals and began his Calder-winning rookie season, he's been here for every new iteration of this team over the past decade and spearheaded its success along the way. He's achieved every new milestone of his career in Toronto, won awards here, continues to chase franchise records, and has climbed the ranks of leadership to where he now dons the ever-illustrious 'C', an honour reserved for only the most elite and dedicated athletes. He's also good friends with Justin Bieber.
Every great player has to endure the peaks and valleys of the media and fanbase's perception, and in a market as loud as Toronto, those narratives echo all the way down Yonge Street and some. But for the truly elite, it's all the more reason to want and stick it out; to see the project through to the very end, because in the city of Toronto, hockey means something more to its fanbase than anywhere else; you see it year in and year out at Sens and Sabres games, where Leafs fans come in droves to support the buds in their second and third home arenas, and that's just the tip of the iceberg as far as Leafs Nation.
We've seen the fruits of stars sticking it out
The continuance component of the model refers to "commitment based on the costs that employees associate with leaving the organization." Sailing off for greener pastures isn't always straightforward, and in the case of professional athletes, it can especially come back to haunt you if you leave without a championship and fail to win where you go.
It's also objectively more admirable to stick it out when times get tough; pressure builds pipes, adversity shapes character, try and try again, manifest the damn thing! Some superstars also learn that leaving an organization to find success elsewhere still doesn't guarantee everlasting approval within the culture. Just ask Kevin Durant or Alex Rodriguez; they'll tell you they did what was best for them in the chase for glory and that it doesn't weigh on their conscience, but there was something more exceptional about Alex Ovechkin and Giannis Antetokounmpo finally getting their rings, wasn't there?
Great players have a responsibility to their teams to perform consistently at a high level, and what separates all-star-caliber guys from true perennial superstars is understanding the onus that championship teams place on leadership. You can't build culture if you're always trading professional athletes for draft picks and prospects. At a certain point, you have to let kids grow into men and women capable of leading an organization, and it's their responsibility to show up for the team when times get tough. The alternative is a carousel of unpredictability that will breed uncertainty and resentment amongst your roster.
Matthews is the captain of this ship. The 'C' can not be taken lightly, and quite frankly, shouldn't just be a letter on a jersey. Captains navigate the course, delegate responsibility, motivate through choppy waters, and, in the most extreme cases, are expected to go down with their ship. Now, as much as I believe this sea metaphor holds legitimate weight when it comes to leading a sports team, no one person is capable of carrying a team on their own to a championship without supporting help, and if an organization is inept at identifying those holes, then it’s understandable for a star to jump ship. But in the case of the Leafs, especially during Matthews' tenure, most would argue that that simply hasn't been the case. Nonetheless, an athlete's respectability and stature in the game will always draw on their ability to navigate troubling times; just as we are the captains of our own lives, we all know that life isn't always smooth sailing.
The final component of the three-factor model cites "feelings of obligation to remain with the organization."
Loyalty often feels like a default mode rather than an active choice, especially when it comes to deep-rooted beliefs like family and purpose. But Allegiances can wane as people discover new truths and watch others make the same mistakes again and again; sometimes the rut of predictability can be so suffocating that it feels inconceivable not to leave it all behind. A new beginning is invariably the end of something else, which means that your loyalty to what was has been severed.
The difficulty with loyalty is that it can stop serving you, or at least your perception of it ceases to serve you. It's easy to rediscover a passion when you can step away from it for a while to see exactly what you're losing.
After guiding the Italian national team to a European Championship in 2021, Roberto Mancini left a year later to coach the Saudi Arabia national team. He ran after a disastrous outing that saw the four-time champions miss out on a second consecutive World Cup. He also left for money, and ridiculous money at that, earning over 10x as much as he did with the Azzurri. He coached Saudi Arabia for 14 months before resigning. Due to the tumultuous state of the FIGC, and the innate inclination Italians just seem to have to make everything one giant soap opera, Mancini was very recently reappointed to the Italian National team and stated in a press conference that leaving "was like losing the woman of your life. And it means you did something that shouldn't have been done."
Would Auston Matthews be accepted with open arms in a new city were he to leave for another franchise? Of course he would be. It would be a new love, a new chapter, and a fresh start that ex-Leaf Mitch Marner has so far thrived in on the ice. But Toronto is Auston's first NHL love, and the feeling has been reciprocated for a decade. And although Marner has already found more postseason success in one year in Las Vegas than he did in nine seasons in Toronto, Mitch's legacy will forever be stained for leaving before he finished what he started; despite his greatness on the ice, he made his choices, not only to leave but also to play hardball with management during his contract negotiations. Although on the surface it felt like a mutual separation, his willingness to reconcile was never something he seemed to advocate for, and with the harsh scrutiny and concern over the safety of his family following consecutive post-season failures, Mitch made the decision to walk. Ultimately, it seemed his loyalty faded, and so did his passion for playing for the city he once called home.
There is greatness on the line for Auston Matthews
Matthews is a name Leafs fans recognize as the franchise's most gifted goal scorer since its 1917 inception. He's accumulated more Rocket Richards than anyone in league history outside of Ovi; he's been voted the league's MVP and most outstanding player by his peers; he's developed into an outstanding defensive player and even finished as a Selke finalist in 2024. He's as well-rounded a player with elite offensive output as there is in the game today, and Leafs fans have been inhaling the hope that's been pumped into the city over the last decade as a product of drafting him back in 2016. But the thing about hope is that when it ceases to fill the air we breathe, then all that is left is the harsh reality of what never was.
Leafs fans who remember the bleak years before Matthews know that, despite having relatively competitive teams through the late 2000s and early 2010s, nothing ever felt sustained and, as a result, is rarely ever thought of or remembered with admiration. That's what the truly elite bring: sustainability. Even during the rollercoaster ride of climbing great heights in regular-season hockey only to fall during the postseason lows, it beats riding that never-ending carousel with the ghosts of players who never were.
For all the failures this once-great organization has endured over the last 59 years, watching someone steer the ship like few can is why Matthews is as important to this franchise as anyone ever has been. And the responsibility that he has to bear will, in no doubt, mould his character, curb regret, carve a lasting legacy that will remain through franchise milestones, and, for all of us bearing witness to the story as it continues to unfold, continue to fill the air with an aroma of hope.
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