The blunt Chris Pronger ultimatum for Auston Matthews sets a heavy offseason tone
Photo credit: (left to right) Jeff Curry-Imagn Images, John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Chris Pronger has set a clear outline for the Toronto Maple Leafs to handle Auston Matthews, and it means forcing him to be 100% with the front office or he's out.
Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman and popular Toronto Maple Leafs general manager candidate Chris Pronger has urged the Leafs to make the drastic steps to restore the front office's superiority.
Pronger discussed the situation of Auston Matthews and his future of the Toronto Maple Leafs, saying for there to be no games, either Matthews stays or he goes.
Pronger says that the Leafs must have a plan, and demand Matthews buy into it or go, demanding full control from the Toronto captain.
It's a move that would take the power away from Matthews, and demand he take orders from Leafs management, indicating what would be Chris Pronger's method as Toronto's GM.
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Making clear that Auston Matthews is just captain, Chris Pronger isn't just outlining what should be the Leafs plans, he's auditioning what he'd do in charge.
Chris Pronger is likely the least qualified of the names floated as the Leafs general manager, and the least experienced in running a front office.
Adding a former player to the Leafs highest office when know-how of navigating an offseason is key, Pronger remains unlikely, even if he's saying the right stuff.
Even if he's not the one in charge, Chris Pronger is saying what many Leafs fans are thinking, that the team's stars need to be reeled in, but that may be easy to say, not so easy to do.
Forcing the captain to accept a heavy new standard or get out of the way
Chris Pronger is urging the Toronto Maple Leafs to assert themselves more over their star players, but that task might not come as easy as some think.
The Leafs roster has been given a strong sense of freedom going back to the days of Kyle Dubas, and it'll be tough for a GM to come in and break down the idea of the players and leadership not on the same footing.
It may also be that a GM wants there to be balanced mutually between the team and the front office, to at least keep the players from having too much power, especially top players like Matthews.
With Matthews holding a no-move clause, he already holds real leverage on his own, and the Leafs ownership will have to be able to make those tough calls such as forcing a player to waive their NMC, as could be the case with Morgan Rielly.
The Leafs culture has seen the players running the show, and Chris Pronger thinks now is the time to bring in balance, if it's not too late.
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