Auston Matthews’ future with the Toronto Maple Leafs has become a talking point after another season without a playoff appearance. Daily Faceoff senior writer Matt Larkin believes Matthews could ask to leave Toronto if the team misses the postseason again. Larkin also pointed to the Philadelphia Flyers as one possible landing spot for the Leafs captain. Matthews is heading into the final year of his contract. Toronto also made several notable moves during the offseason, including selecting Gavin McKenna with the No. 1 pick, signing Sergei Bobrovsky and acquiring Kirill Marchenko.
Matt Larkin Predicts Auston Matthews Trade Request
Larkin believes another missed postseason could lead Matthews to seek a change.
“Don’t get me wrong. The Leafs will show plenty of positive progression in Year 1 of the John Chayka era,” Larkin wrote. “They’ll rise to the Eastern Conference playoff periphery. Their team speed and play driving will drastically improve. But 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.”
He further wrote, “The Leo Carlsson offer sheet showed that Flyers GM Danny Briere is willing to spend massive money on a superstar center, and Matthews would accelerate the team’s timeline significantly.”
James Mirtle Sees Bigger Matthews Trade Talk Next Summer
The Athletic’s James Mirtle has a different view on when the Matthews discussion could become a bigger story. He expects the offseason to be more significant than the months ahead.
Mirtle wrote. “He has a full no-movement clause and can control his destiny- not just with where he’s willing to go but when a move would happen. As long as there’s a chance of competitiveness, I believe he sticks it out rather than going somewhere in the spring.”
Mirtle also addressed whether the Toronto Maple Leafs should try to trade Auston Matthews for Kirill Kaprizov. He added, “It feels like the NHL has moved beyond the era of superstar-for-superstar trades. “There are just so many factors and complications, including every star having a NMC, making the money work and lining up extensions and UFA status. Kaprizov is locked in long-term at a number that now seems surprisingly reasonable ($17 million), whereas Matthews likely commands more than that and can go wherever he wants in 2028.”
Matthews’ situation could draw more attention once the season reaches its later stages. His contract status and Larkin’s trade prediction give the Leafs another major decision to consider if the team falls short again.