Nobody Really Knows What Auston Matthews Future Holds for the Maple Leafs
Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period joined Steve Kouleas and Carter Hutton on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio on Wednesday. He was asked about Auston Matthews and his future with the Toronto Maple Leafs and if he played his final game with the club.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Steve Kouleas: “okay, I’m sure you heard the rumor that went around yesterday (Tuesday). I don’t know if you want to comment on it. That related to Auston Matthews. What is the plan, and where do you have on the Dave Pagnotta, Mike Richter scale, more or less than 50/50 that Matthews may have already played his last game as a Maple Leaf?”
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Dave Pagnotta: “Well, I mean, I, because I haven’t talked to him or anybody in that circle about his future yet, I’m going to just cop out and give you that 50/50, but I don’t know which way it’s going to lean just yet. I do know that, prior to all the hoopla, prior to the injury and everything like that, he does like it in Toronto. A lot genuinely.
And would he love to win in Toronto? Absolutely. I think he needs to understand, just like the same situation with Connor McDavid in Edmonton, before he locked in. Although they both will have two years left on their contract after the season, Connor’s extension kicks in July 1st. But Auston’s going to want to know, just like another player in his position, a star in his position, he’s going to want to know what the plan is.
It’s been a stinker of a season for Toronto. They pulled one out . We’ll see what happens. It’s going to be an overly exciting game against the Rangers , I’m sure. But he’s going to want to know, what’s the direction of this team? Where are we going? We’ve been trying this year after year. It’s not working, you know?
Yeah, this is going to be Treliving’s final years. He is entering into his contract as GM for next season. Is he the guy, A? B, if he is, what’s the plan, or whoever it is, what’s the plan, and are we going back into contention, or are we going to stumble a little bit here before we start to get back to that level? And that’s something that absolutely and obviously Auston Matthews is going to want to know the answers to; they’ll have those conversations soon enough.
And then we’ll have a pretty better, or a pretty good indicator, a better indicator, anyway, as to where that 50/50 sways? Is it 70-25? Is it going to be 100 that he stayed? Is it like, what we’ll know that probably I would imagine by the end of April, if not much sooner. But those are like, anybody in his position, he was going to want to know where things are going to go with this club. I can tell you, the Leafs are going to be making some interesting moves this summer. Are going to try to anyway.
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They want to gear up and go back to the playoffs next season. They want to make sure that this team can, this is just an anomaly this year, and that they can right the ship, similar to Winnipeg in the Western Conference.
So we’ll see kind of how the rest of their season goes, and what the messaging becomes after this season. Is Treliving back? Is Chief (Craig Berube) back? If not, where’s the direction of this club? We won’t know that. Once we know that, we’ll have a better indicator of what the direction is for Auston Matthews as well.”
NHLRumors.com Note: Everyone wants answers in Toronto about Auston Matthews and his future withe Maple Leafs. There is a reports that have said he’s played his final game, and could be headed to Anaheim, Los Angeles, or Utah. Only Matthews knows. It is going to be a waiting game, and people just need to be patient. This is going to be a process. The talk will not go away until a decision is made, one way or the other.
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