The private Auston Matthews meeting with Keith Pelley puts the Toronto roster on high alert
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
A private get together between MLSE CEO Keith Pelley and Auston Matthews has the rest of the team on edge as a scorched-earth roster is expected to happen.
As the Maple Leafs look towards sweeping changes this upcoming summer, no one is going to have more attention on them than Auston Matthews. It's all up to the captain now as he holds the cards; if he needs some better players then it's up to Toronto to provide that for him.
It's of utter importance to make sure Toronto does everything they can to keep him around past 2028, and we might be getting that extra effort from the Maple Leafs sooner than later.
Elliotte Friedman leaking the boardroom meeting proves the captain is taking absolute control
Matthews decided that he wanted to get a head start on things and spoke personally to MLSE CEO Keith Pelley in a one on one conversation, a situation that was unveiled on Elliotte Friedman's 32 Thoughts podcast.
With that news, it sounds like Matthews is taking more control over the roster construction than perhaps he may have in the past, and who better to know what he needs around him than the man himself?
Pelley almost has to appease his captain at this point, and if the team is truly willing to go nuclear, then we could be seeing a much different group. While we know Matthews has a close bond with guys like Max Domi and Morgan Rielly — if he feels they aren't pulling their weight then they could be gone.
It could also be a matter of Matthews explaining who he needs behind the bench to get him back to that 60-goal level but with how notoriously quiet Toronto is surrounding these types of situations; we're likely to never find out.
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With Matthews looking to directly speak to Pelley and explain what he needs, it shows that for potentially the first time in his 10 years here, the captain is taking control.
For years it's always been that solidified group of the 'Core Four'. But it feels like Matthews never had a say in who he needs around him. He always had Mitch Marner, and Matthew Knies was a very solid linemate but maybe it wasn't everything he needed?
Matthews also knows what the team needs on the backend, and if he's not happy with how the defensive side is looking then it could be something he focuses on. He needs someone who can feed him the puck and actually give the Maple Leafs an ounce of transitional offence.
It's about surrounding your best player with the right pieces around him and that extends beyond his own line, though it will be interesting to see how the new coach utilizes Matthews and whether they are going to be on the same page or not.
Whatever the case, it's no longer Matthews being the captain in the locker room, on the ice, or in the community. It's Matthews leading the charge to make sure that whoever he has behind him is going to finally give him a chance to win.
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| POLL | ||
AVRIL 15|1503 ANSWERS The private Auston Matthews meeting with Keith Pelley puts the Toronto roster on high alert Should Auston Matthews have complete control over the Maple Leafs' roster? | ||
| Yes | 366 | 24.4 % |
| No | 1137 | 75.6 % |
| List of polls | ||