When you watch a franchise center take a dirty, season-ending knee-on-knee hit, you expect a massive response. You expect fireworks. You expect his teammates to tear the rink apart. But when Auston Matthews went down, the Toronto Maple Leafs did… nothing. According to NHL insider Chris Johnston on The Athletic, that deafening silence and lack of pushback might just be “the final act in Toronto” for arguably the greatest player in franchise history.
If you’re a hockey fan in Ontario, that sentence should send a shiver down your spine. The reality is, the Toronto Maple Leafs have just suffered their biggest year-over-year points decline in franchise history, forcing management into an embarrassing sell-off at the trade deadline. Management was already slated to have a tough offseason discussion with the 28-year-old superstar about his future, but this injury, and the team’s lifeless reaction, changes the entire calculus. Will Auston Matthews re-sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs, or is the clock finally ticking on his exit? Let’s break down why the next few months will dictate the next decade of hockey in Toronto.
What a Lack of Teammate Response Means for the Toronto Maple Leafs
In my years covering the NHL and being around locker rooms, I’ve seen teams fracture, but this feels entirely different. The lack of pushback after the Matthews injury isn’t just a lack of toughness; it’s a glaring symptom of a deeply flawed team culture.
Matthews’ camp met with Leafs management before the Olympic break, and by all accounts, everything seemed fine despite the club’s sagging fortunes. But fortunes change quickly in the National Hockey League. Following the injury, the two sides could revisit those discussions within the next couple of months. With the front office facing a summer of intense uncertainty and potential coaching changes looming, the direction of this franchise is incredibly murky. It might not be until July before Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs have a clear picture of what the roster will even look like next October.
The Ripple Effect of Matthews’ No-Movement Clause
Auston Matthews has two seasons remaining on his current contract. Crucially, his full no-movement clause (NMC) gives him absolute leverage. If the Toronto Maple Leafs attempt to trade him, his NMC will severely limit their efforts to get full market value because Matthews completely dictates his destination.
Furthermore, the Leafs are backed into a corner. Punting next season is entirely out of the question because they have already traded away their 2027 first-round pick, and potentially their 2028 first-rounder, depending on trade conditions.
My personal insight? Matthews is going to play the waiting game. He could easily decide to see how next season turns out before engaging in serious talks about his future. A massive bounce-back performance by himself and the Toronto Maple Leafs could make him amenable to another short-term contract extension. However, if we witness another collapsed season like this one, he could decide to test the free-agent market in 2028. That scenario would force the Leafs into a nightmare situation where they have to start shopping their generational talent in the summer of 2027 just to avoid losing him for nothing.
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The post The Unthinkable Reality: Is Auston Matthews Done With the Toronto Maple Leafs? appeared first on NHL Trade Rumors.
