The Leafs Nation: Frank Seravalli on the latest involving the Toronto Maple Leafs and Auston Matthews.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
“There’s two different things that are going on right now. A push and a pull.
On one hand, you’ve got Brad Treliving who kind of went through a really tough situation with Johnny Gaudreau and watched him go through the season and then walk for nothing. And I don’t think anyone’s thinking that Auston Matthews is thinking along that path, but I still there’s a real push from the Leafs perspective from Brad Treliving and that scare tissue, to get him locked up long-term before, at least medium-term before July 1st. So that you can kind of put that to bed and put it to rest.
Then you have on the other hand Matthews camp, which has said and done all the right things till this point. ‘I intend to be Toronto Maple Leaf. I’d like to sign before the season starts.’ But leaves sort of an open-ended and open date, of well, when?
So the thought process I think has been, what happens if Brad Treliving and the Toronto Maple Leafs give Auston Matthews everything he wants? The contract and the term, etc., etc. They come to terms, at least. Auston Matthews asked for ‘X’ and the Leafs gave him ‘X.’ But what if he still doesn’t sign? I don’t think they’re in any hurry to sign, is at least understanding.
So those two things are butting up against each other and it puts the Leafs in, kind of a really uncomfortable position to be in. Which is like, ‘Hey, we are going to bend over backwards to make you happy, and if it’s still not good enough. Then what’s to say if it’s not good enough in late June that it’s suddenly going to be good enough in September or December or February when we get close to the trade deadline?
The Leafs can’t be in a situation where Austin Matthews one year from now is walked to free agency and leaves. So I think it’s a really uncomfortable spot for Brad Treliving to be in.”