Auston Matthews' season-ending knee surgery continues to raise questions about his future with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Meanwhile, Anaheim Ducks center Mason McTavish's struggles this season could make him the subject of off-season trade speculation.
Auston Matthews' season-ending knee injury marked the low point of this season for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
It also raised uncertainty about the 28-year-old superstar center's future with the club.
Matthews is two years away from UFA eligibility. While his camp reportedly met with Maple Leafs management before the Olympic break to discuss plans for next season, it's believed the two sides could revisit those discussions within the next two or three months.
Chris Johnston of The Athletic wondered whether Matthews' injury, and his teammates' embarrassing initial lack of response to the incident, may be "the final act in Toronto for arguably the greatest Maple Leaf ever."
Johnston speculated changes could be coming to the Maple Leafs following this disastrous season. He believes it could take until June before Matthews and the Leafs have a clearer picture of their direction.
Matthews could stick it out another season to see if the Maple Leafs can rebound from this disappointing campaign. He has a full no-movement clause in his contract, giving him complete control over his situation if he and the Maple Leafs decide to part ways.
Should it come to that, Johnston believes the Maple Leafs are unlikely to get full value in a trade, as that rarely happens when a team moves a player of Matthews' caliber. He also pointed out that the center's no-move clause would severely limit those efforts.
In that scenario, the best the Maple Leafs could hope for is a return comparable to what the Vancouver Canucks received from the Minnesota Wild in the Quinn Hughes trade in December. That move netted the Canucks three promising youngsters – Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium and Liam Ohgren – and an unprotected first-round pick.
Meanwhile, the Anaheim Ducks raised eyebrows last week by making Mason McTavish a healthy scratch in consecutive games against the Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers. He's since been skating on the Ducks' fourth line.
McTavish, 23, entered this season as part of the Ducks' core of rising young talent. Over netting 43 points during his 2022-23 rookie season and 42 points in his sophomore campaign, MacTavish had a career-best 22 goals and 30 assists for 52 points last season as the second-line center.
However, McTavish's lengthy contract talks last summer forced him to miss most of training camp before agreeing to a six-year deal worth $7 million annually on Sept. 27. He's struggled to regain last season's promising form, with 33 points in 63 games.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman recently suggested McTavish could have a bounce-back performance next season similar to that of Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman, who also struggled last season after missing training camp following difficult contract talks.
Jonathan Bailey of The Hockey News noted the recent trade history between the Ducks and Philadelphia Flyers. He suggested the Flyers look into acquiring McTavish in the off-season to help them address their lack of depth at center.
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