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10 hours ago
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There's still plenty to be figured out for the Toronto Maple Leafs this offseason.
On the ice, nothing looms larger than the destiny of Auston Matthews. The captain has two years left on his current contract, and there's plenty of speculation about a potential trade.
It hasn't really risen to the level of reported rumors yet. It doesn't sound like Toronto is actively shopping Matthews.
But at some point, he'll have to figure out where this ship is heading. Does Matthews want to stick around as the Maple Leafs work to bounce back from a tough 2025-26 season?
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The reality is that Matthews himself has given very little indication that he wants to leave. All the reports suggest more than Matthews simply wants to be let in on what the plans are, so he can make a proper assessment.
And on Monday, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman joined a segment on NHL Network and essentially said he doesn't think Matthews is going to play for anyone but Toronto in the 2026-27 season:
Friedman on NHL Network says the #1 thing is Matthews wants to win in Toronto, but what’s important to him is not just what Leafs are going to do, but how they’re going to do it and what the timeline looks like
Friedman would be surprised if Matthews isn’t in Toronto next season
In the grand scheme of things, it wouldn't make sense for the Leafs to move Matthews this early. They've still got a talented roster, to which they'll add the No. 1 overall pick and potentially some other pieces as they shuffle things around.
Matthews is still a first-line center, the type of guy you build around. If he doesn't want to leave, Toronto shouldn't be in a rush to push him out.
Things might change eventually, but for now, it seems Matthews is just fine with staying put.
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