Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek on the 32 Thoughts: The Podcast – Barba$hev on Michael Bunting, Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Marek: “Okay, here’s one that’s always fun to make up stuff about, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Elliotte, what’s going on here?”
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Friedman: “So there is a couple things interesting here. They’re having their pro meetings right now and I think their plans are going to come out of this. I heard they had a really short meeting or conversation with Bunting. And I think everybody knows here that it’s going to be very hard to do but I don’t think they’ve specifically said no yet.
I think they’re going to get through this week and kind of have a better idea.
Brad Treliving did go to Arizona last week and he met with Auston Matthews. And look, I have been convinced he’s signing. Now I’m even more convinced he’s signing. Like I don’t know how much they talked contract, but the one thing I remember is, when was the last time Brad Treliving had dinner with someone?
Marek: “Ahhh, probably with Brendan Shanahan I would imagine.”
Friedman: “I would have to say Jeff, a really good answer. It’s not the answer I was going for but it’s a really good answer.
Marek: “It’s kind of one of those Cliff Claven ‘people who have not been in my kitchen, Alex.’
Friedman: “Anybody at this podcast who’s screeming at it saying ‘he’s probably eaten dinner with his wife.’ You’re disqualified. I know he’s eaten dinner with his wife. I’m taking about a player.
Marek: “Was it (Jonathan) Huberdeau?”
Friedman: “Yes, it was Jonathan Huderdeau in Montreal. So, three days after Huberdeau ate that chocolate suflee, he signed the extension with Calgary. The eight-year, $84 million extension.
It’s already been longer than three days since Treliving met with Matthews, so we’re not going to beat that but I still am convinced that Auston Matthews is going to sign in Toronto. I’ve been consistent with that. I still believe it.
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And the thing I’m hearing right now is, even people who said that I was delusional, and there’s one of them in particular who will laugh when he hears this, he’s been telling me for months I’m delusional that Matthews will stay in Toronto. Even he’s conseeding that an extension is the most likely thing here. And I do believe that he’s signing.
Now again, both the Leafs and the people around Matthews, his agent Judd Muldaver, they’re being really quiet. Noone wants to ruin the confidentuality here. But in the gossipy world of the National Hockey League, this is what I think.
Look, I think Matthews, and especially the people around him, they look at there’s two more big contracts in his future. I think the Maple Leafs are going to try and get max term deal out of this. I don’t know what the likelihood of it is but I think they’re gonna try. And I don’t know if they bring in Shane Doan as the Mariano Rivera style closer here, if that’s what they try. I don’t have a good answer for you. I don’t know what the likelihood of it is. But I think they’re going to try.
And the second thing is, I think that both sides understand here that this isn’t a decision that can wait a long time. The Maple Leafs, they’re doing their scouting meetings right now. They have to know kind of what this is going to look like so they can make a number of long-term decisions.
The one thing here that everybody here is well aware of is that, this not something that can wait a long time. If nobody was sure that Matthews wanted to stay, I think we’d have a real problem here but I think everybody, including Matthews people, recognize that he wants to stay.
So I think now becomes the question of, how quickly can this get done and what are we looking at so Toronto can do there other business?
Interesting time for them.”