The future of Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews is the subject of speculation. But a renewed Leafs vision from a new management team should be enough to keep him.
This week, TSN commentator and former player Mike Johnson was discussing a topic near and dear to the hearts of Toronto Maple Leafs fans – the future of captain Auston Matthews.
They were comments Leafs fans desperately wanted to hear.
"What I know of Auston, he likes Toronto," Johnson told TSN's Overdrive show Tuesday. "He likes playing here. He likes living (here). He's not (running) out of Toronto because he doesn't like it, because the heat's too much, because the media. None of that stuff bothers him."
Why wouldn't Matthews like Toronto, anyway? The Maple Leafs have done just about everything right in their handling of Matthews in his decade with the team.
The Leafs have shielded Matthews from the Toronto media – a group that's vastly overrated in terms of being a negative force. It isn't that Toronto media are overly negative. It's the sheer volume of reporters that makes the Leafs a different animal for players. But Leafs PR has done its job by protecting Matthews, and he should have no complaints about how the team has handled him.
It's true the Leafs have missed former Leaf and frequent Matthews linemate Mitch Marner more than team management had feared, but Matthews is still part of a core group the team will almost certainly retool this summer.
Leafs ownership CEO Keith Pelley strongly hinted at a quick franchise retool, and it's next-to-impossible that whoever replaces fired GM Brad Treliving will want to be known as the person who traded the greatest scorer in Leafs history.
And really, does Matthews want to be known for quitting on the Leafs and demanding a trade? We don't think so. He must be aware of the way Marner hurt his Leafs legacy by refusing a trade at last year's trade deadline and leaving for the Vegas Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade last summer.
Matthews has the chance to be part of a rejuvenated Leafs team next season, and we'd bet that's much more appealing than joining a team he has no feel for, such as the Utah Mammoth or Los Angeles Kings.
This is a devil-you-know type of situation, and although Toronto's front office and coaches made a mess of the team this past year, there's a longer track record of the Buds doing things the right way. That's what the Leafs' incoming GM has to stress to Matthews when they come in and lay out their philosophy to the captain.
That's the key here – full communication with Matthews should keep him in town. That doesn't mean you make Matthews the de facto GM and get the green light from him on every move the new GM makes. But in the modern-day NHL, keeping clear lines of communication will ease any concerns Matthews may have.
Matthews didn't look like himself this season prior to his season-ending knee injury. His 27 goals and 53 points in 60 games aren't as dominant as we're accustomed to seeing from him during the regular season. Winning Olympic gold with Team USA was a tremendous accomplishment for the American captain, but that was the only bright spot this season.
But with a full summer to re-energize and reboot, Matthews can come into training camp next season determined to take on a new challenge in Leafs Land.
He hasn't had the playoff success most bona fide NHL legends have, but he's still only 28. Father Time has yet to humble Matthews, so it's on the Leafs to make hay while the sun shines and show Matthews why he should be sticking around Toronto.
There may come a time when Matthews and the Leafs feel it's best to part ways. But from our perspective, that time should be a long way away.
Everything that could go wrong for the Maple Leafs this season did go wrong, but Leafs brass has to believe a reconstituted Toronto team will be more fortunate next season. And if you're Matthews and you give a whit about your legacy, you want to give the Buds another chance to prove to you they're going about things the right way.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.