Auston Matthews may not want to stay and that is the real question the Maple Leafs need to answer
Photo credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Auston Matthews has a lot of thinking to do while he recovers from a torn MCL. Elliotte Friedman believes it's too early to know what he's reflecting on but that silence speaks volumes from the Maple Leafs captain.
Since being knocked out of the 2025-26 season thanks to a Radko Gudas knee, Auston Matthews has been the centre of attention for a few reasons. Not only has there been a flurry of wild trade rumours floating around the ether, but there's a genuine need to build a proper team around him — and he's tired of waiting.
A roster overhaul, a new coach, a new GM or some combination of the three is going to be where Toronto has to start if they want to keep their captain past 2028.
Friedman says don't rush to conclusions on Matthews but Toronto can't afford to wait
But what he wants is anyone's guess, and Elliotte Friedman believes it's way too premature to speculate:
I wouldn’t rush to assume anything about Auston Matthews’ intentions. There is much to play out before we get a true understanding of how he feels. While there are changes coming in Toronto, we don’t yet know what they will be. - 32 Thoughts, 03.27.26
Well, that's a very sharp double-edged sword. On one hand, you have Matthews who needs time to reflect about his future and where he wants to see himself in five, ten years. But with that, he also needs to be a lot more transparent and outspoken about what he needs.
You're the captain of the team, Auston. You, if anyone, has a say in roster construction. If you want to play with Brady Tkachuk say it. Do you want Toronto to spring for Quinn Hughes? Do you need them to hire Mike Sullivan?
Tell us what you want. Only then we can have an idea of where the team should go. If Matthews is disconnected with coaching and management when it comes to who plays with him then why is he entertaining a new deal?
Toronto has 12 weeks to change things before Auston Matthews is healthy once again
12 weeks. Three months. That takes us to June 19th, and would you look at what's right around the corner — the NHL Entry Draft.
There's no plan in place now, and there's still time but there has to be a focus on what happens during the draft. If Toronto loses their pick to Boston, they need to shift gears and find as many ways to trade up as possible to give themselves a prospect worth drafting.
But if Toronto keeps their pick they have two choices. First, they can snag a player like Keaton Verhoeff or Gavin McKenna if they're lucky enough or they could simply (but oddly) bypass the draft completely and trade that pick for a superstar like Robert Thomas.
That will hopefully lead into a domino effect where there's already a place to trade Morgan Rielly, Max Domi, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Simon Benoit and the pieces can just be spread out in their respective deals.
Then it's about actually giving Matthews what he needs, though we'll get a clearer idea once he's healed. But having an entire pipeline of college stars ready to make an impact is one way to show Matthews they are willing to do things differently.
Couple the roster changes with the new regime change and an onus on someone who knows how to win; it could lead Matthews to re-sign with the team past 2028.
But if he wakes up and realizes it's Groundhog Day yet again, and reliving the same disappointment year after year — the only way to break that cycle is to get as far away from Toronto as possible.
Also read on Hockey Patrol :
Radko Gudas is now in a walking boot and the timing may have just robbed the Leafs of their payback on Monday
Radko Gudas is now in a walking boot and the timing may have just robbed the Leafs of their payback on Monday
Previously on Hockey Patrol