NHL Rumor Roundup: Future Murky For Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews; Latest Predators Buzz
Questions persist over whether Auston Matthews still has a future with the Toronto Maple Leafs, plus a look at some suggested off-season moves for the Nashville Predators.
Video Transcript
I'm Lyle Richardson of the Hockey News.
The Toronto Maple Leafs' hiring of John Chayka as their new general manager was greeted with skepticism in Leafs Nation over concerns whether the former Arizona Coyote GM is the right man for the job.
And it's also raised questions about Auston Matthews' future with the club, which is one of the topics in today's NHL Rumor Roundup column.
The twenty-eight-year-old Matthews has two years remaining on his contract, but there are fans and pundits, who are concerned that, he could decide to, force a trade if he feels that the Leafs have not significantly improved.
It's been reported that, Chayka intends to meet with Matthews in the near future to explain his plans for the franchise moving forward, and that Matthews is taking a wait and see approach.
However, Chris Johnston of The Athletic, reported that the Maple Leafs could be on the clock here with Matthews as he cited league sources claiming that the high-scoring center isn't sure if he'll return with the Leafs this fall.
Now, Johnston believes that Matthews wants to see a meaningful upgrade to the roster through draft picks, trades, and free agent signings.
And that could be a daunting task for Chayka, given that there isn't much talent available in this summer's free agent market, and the Leafs have limited trade capital to work with this summer.
Now, I'm of the, opinion that Matthews is going to probably return with the Leafs this fall and see how this season plays out before making any decisions about his future.
But nevertheless, if Matthews should force a trade, Johnston believes that the Leafs won't come out, ahead on the deal, and he thinks that the best case scenario then would be that they get a return of future assets that would be comparable to what the Vancouver Canucks received from the Minnesota Wild last December in the Quinn Hughes deal.
