Insider believes the Toronto Maple Leafs may have no choice but to 'trade Auston Matthews'
When the Toronto Maple Leafs won the NHL Draft Lottery, they were gifted with the opportunity to draft Auston Matthews. Matthews was hailed as the savior of the Maple Leafs, the player who would finally help them break their Stanley Cup curse. Unfortunately, despite his individual success Matthews hasn't managed to get the Leafs out of the first round, let alone winning them a Stanley Cup.
After completing his 3-year entry level contract, Matthews signed a 5-year deal with the Maple Leafs. The 5-year deal pays Matthews, $11,634,000 per season. Fans were surprised by this deal, not necessarily by the dollars, but by the term.
The biggest problem with the deal is that a 5-year deal walks Auston Matthews directly to unrestricted free agency. That means Matthews can walk to whatever team he wants next season, something that would likely break Maple Leafs fans.
Now the crew from the Cam and Strick Podcast have addressed the topic. Andy Strickland has the following to say on the most recent podcast.
Strickland doesn't believe that Matthews is willing to sign an extension this summer, and it will leave with nothing to show for him. Strickland believes that Matthews will want to be the highest paid player in the game, but isn't sure if that will be the case.
Strickland feels that Matthews may follow in the footsteps of his good friend Matthew Tkachuk. If Matthews is on his way out this summer it would likely cost a significant package that I'm not sure most teams would be willing to give up. But, do the Leafs have a choice?
| POLL | ||
What will happen with Auston Matthews? | ||
| He'll be extended by Toronto | 89 | 36.8 % |
| He'll force a trade | 67 | 27.7 % |
| He'll walk as a free agent | 86 | 35.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
