There’s one question the Leafs have to ask Auston Matthews right now

Mired in a six game losing streak and staring a potential retool in the face, it's tough times right now for Brad Treliving and company. The sell off could be near, and unless you're a superstar -- you could be on the move.

Speaking of superstars, Auston Matthews has been noticeably much better this season than he was last year, and while the standings don't reflect the personal improvement, he's still the leader and captain of the team.

But he's only a couple seasons away from a new deal though he very well could be settling in for the long-term according to Elliotte Friedman:

That is great news for the Maple Leafs, however they are faced with a question that could end up swaying Matthews' opinion.

'Do you want to stay here through a retool?'

It's a question that really can't be answered unless we know for certain the team is going through a retool but this is brand new territory for Matthews regardless. He was the rebuild; he's the former first overall pick and saviour of the team with the young guns like William Nylander and Mitch Marner.

But he's going to be 29 next season and without even sniffing a Stanley Cup yet, he could find that his timeframe gets shorter each and every year.

Plus, his contract expires the same time as Connor McDavid's, meaning that both men are going to be vying for potentially $16-18M+ contracts and 31 other teams are going to be gunning for them.

Those teams also have more direction and stability than this current iteration of the Maple Leafs, and it'll be up to management (be it Treliving or not) to prove to their captain it's worth sticking around.

Luckily they still have a few pieces they can build around like Matthew Knies and Easton Cowan but the supporting cast needs to get younger, faster, and not handicapped by lucrative contracts.

But it means a lot more pain and suffering for Matthews because let's be honest, he's going to be losing more than he's winning if he sticks it through (barring a miraculous turnaround).

So it's time to face the music, and ask the question that no one really expected to be asked:

'Hey Auston, do you still want to be a Toronto Maple Leaf?'

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