Daily Faceoff contributor Matt Larkin has one of the most bold takes in recent memory as he predicts Auston Matthews will leave Toronto after the end of the season.
If it weren't big enough news that the Toronto Maple Leafs already traded Matthew Knies to the Columbus Blue Jackets, but they might not be done just yet.
Several reports have surfaced that show the Maple Leafs have the assets and the desire to improve their team further, and that could lead them to making another blockbuster deal; more specifically to address the blue line.
Though one analyst believes the team is also preparing for a blockbuster deal this summer that involves their current captain - Auston Matthews.
Matt Larkin thinks Auston Matthews is leaving Toronto in 2027
The Daily Faceoff's Matt Larkin had some pretty bold takes for the 2026-27 season - 25 of them in fact. But it was his second and third ones that really drew some eyes. Larkin believes that if the Maple leafs don't make the playoffs this year, Matthews is as good as gone:
3. After the Toronto Maple Leafs miss the playoffs again, Auston Matthews tells management he's ready to move on. He's traded during the 2027 NHL Draft week.
The Atlantic's top five is extremely tough to crack, so they'll be inching toward a new era built around McKenna, Marchenko, William Nylander and Darren Raddysh, not Matthews. With a year left on his deal, he'll decide not to wait for the retool to yield a full Stanley Cup contender team.
And Chayka, who proved earlier this week he's an absolute wild man on the trade front, will cash out the most purely talented player ever to wear the Maple Leaf.
That's a brazen statement to say the least and for the Maple Leafs to trade away their captain after so much investment in his future, it would be a shocking turnaround. Matthews just got Kirill Marchenko to work with, and it's hard to see him give up the chance after just one year.
But we do know that Chayka is more than willing to make a huge move when it comes to shaking things up, and it's where Larkin thinks the Maple Leafs captain will end up just as surprising.
Toronto ends up dealing Matthews to Philadelphia for Michkov
Larkin believes that if the Maple Leafs do indeed trade Matthews, they will find a familiar face to do business with as the Flyers are the target team, bringing in Matvei Michkov as the centrepiece of the package:
2. Despite his improved physique, Matvei Michkov can't get on the same page as Rick Tocchet, and Michkov ends up part of a blockbuster that sends Matthews to the Philadelphia Flyers...GM Danny Briere is willing to spend massive money on a superstar center, and Matthews would accelerate the team's timeline significantly.
Meanwhile, the Leafs, who began fostering a Russian contingent with Marchenko and Sergei Bobrovsky, would buy low on a high-ceilinged talent while netting some other useful draft-pick capital.
It would be a significantly different look for the Maple Leafs as they run with a Russian-heavy group with William Nylander, John Tavares, Gavin McKenna and Easton Cowan all supporting them.
But it also brings up a very serious red flag - who plays centre? Matthews is their 1C, and Tavares while great is no longer an elite 2C, so he isn't going to just be asked to carry that load at nearly 36.
Toronto needs to have a game plan in mind as to who is going to be the pivot on their first line, so it'll be interesting to see how they approach this season's trade deadline. But John Chayka isn't afraid to make big changes, and we could see the biggest one of all happen in less than a year.
Do you think it would be a good idea to trade Auston Matthews to the Philadelphia Flyers for Matvei Michkov?
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Maple Leafs make a final decision on trading Easton Cowan