John Chayka reveals the status of Auston Matthews' health and gives key update on contract talks

In an exclusive Q&A with NHL.com, Maple Leafs GM John Chayka not only updated fans on Auston Matthews' health, but his future with the franchise as well.

Chayka took the time to speak to NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger about various topics regarding the Toronto Maple Leafs, his previous tenure in Arizona, his thoughts on Gavin McKenna, and more - but it was the focus on the captain that is making some waves.

Chayka admitted to the media on Toronto's first on-ice practice session on Thursday that Auston Matthews was pretty much '100 percent ready to go physically' and that there should really be no issues going forward with the Maple Leafs captain as he looks to bounce back from two down seasons.

Matthews is not only healthy, but having his future put on hold for now

But it was the focus on Matthews' future that drew attention, as Chayka admitted to Zeisberger that any potential contract talks aren't really in the works right now and the focus is going to continue being on 2026-27.

Or as Chayka called it - the business of winning:

We have, what, 10 months for that? And a lot can happen in 10 months (laughs). Let's get through our first regular-season game. Now, having said that, we have a great relationship with Auston. We have a great relationship with Judd (Moldaver), his representative.

I know (Auston's) family a bit from being around Arizona, so there's a lot of shared interest. Right now, let's deal with the business of winning. When it's time for business, we'll deal with it.

The health situation is great news, though that confidence from Chayka has to be taken with a grain of salt, as we've yet to see Matthews in a game yet or how he's going to handle a now 84-game workload.

That's why Chayka was so adamant on putting any contract talks on the back burner because we've yet to start the season and so many variables can influence whether or not he decides to stick around.

Does Toronto have a chance at re-signing Auston Matthews?

To summarize in a word: Yes.

But that isn't necessarily going to be an easy road to travel. There's only two seasons for the Maple Leafs to figure it out and become competitive again and with a slew of new faces needing time to get chemistry and become familiar with each other - they've already lost a bit of that precious clock.

It's also not just that Toronto finds a way to get over .500, or sneak into the postseason as a wild card. Matthews needs the confidence to know that he's committing to a team that is committed to winning while having a plan beyond 2027-28.

With 10 contracts at minimum expiring at that time, Matthews will be looking at a bare roster...so is that worth committing to? The Maple Leafs have to prove that their future pipeline is ready to contribute in the bottom-six to replace the departing deals, and then use the excess cap they have to sign some heavy hitters (figuratively and literally).

Auston Matthews' time in Toronto isn't long, as two seasons can go by in a flash. But if all the moves Chayka made turns out to succeed, then it's likely in those 10 months we'll have a better idea of whether or not the captain still wants to lead his crew.

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