Maple Leafs’ No. 1 pick has not ‘changed’ Auston Matthews’ mindset

The Toronto Maple Leafs may have landed the No. 1 overall pick after a disastrous season, but NHL insiders believe it has not significantly altered Auston Matthews ’ approach to his future.

Speaking on The Sheet with Jeff Marek, ESPN insider Greg Wyshynski said Matthews remains deeply focused on evaluating the organization’s direction rather than reacting emotionally to one major draft win.

“I did some calling around on Auston,” Wyshynski said. “I don’t think that the Leafs grabbing the first overall pick has necessarily changed dramatically Matthews’ thinking going into next season or going into the offseason.”

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The comments arrive during a critical stretch for Toronto following one of the most disappointing campaigns in franchise history. The Maple Leafs finished 32-36-14 and missed the playoffs for the first time in ten years. The collapse included a 30-point drop in the standings, the firing of general manager Brad Treliving, and a season-ending MCL injury for Matthews in March.

Wyshynski added that Matthews is approaching the situation similarly to how Connor McDavid evaluated his own future in Edmonton last summer.

“He is contemplating,” Wyshynski said. “He’s doing the same thing that McDavid did last summer, being that they share an agent. And there’s a whole process he’s going through insofar as like what the new management intends to do in the short term, what the new management intends to do in the long term.”

Toronto’s rebuild around Auston Matthews faces pressure

The biggest issue for Toronto is timing.

Matthews still has two seasons remaining on his four-year, $53 million extension before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2028. That gives the organization a narrow window to convince its franchise player that the team can return to Stanley Cup contention quickly.

The No. 1 pick helps, but it does not erase structural concerns across the roster. Toronto struggled defensively all season, allowed the most shots against in the league, and never properly replaced the impact lost after trading Mitch Marner to Vegas.

A single elite prospect rarely changes a veteran superstar’s long-term outlook overnight. Matthews is likely looking for signs of stability, organizational clarity, and roster balance more than draft lottery luck.

Wyshynski pointed out the leverage Matthews holds if things do not improve.

“You can go and chase a Cup for two years with a really, really good team,” Wyshynski said. “Get your own team a bounty of prospects and players to help them out, and not leave them barren after you leave, and then go in two years and be the highest-paid UFA in the history of hockey, if you want to be.”

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For now, Toronto still has time. But the pressure has shifted squarely onto the front office to prove the collapse of 2025-26 was temporary rather than the start of something deeper.