The Toronto Maple Leafs may be forced to confront the uncomfortable question of star player Auston Matthews’ future. The Maple Leafs captain is out for the rest of the season following a severe knee-on-knee hit by Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas, and could it be that we have already seen his last in a Leafs jersey?
However, even if Matthews gets traded, Chris Johnston believes that it could hardly be an advantageous situation for the Leafs.
Why Chris Johnston Believes an Auston Matthews Trade Hurts the Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs are on their way to missing the playoffs for the first time in 10 seasons. Toronto could not be in a worse situation if it tried, as the team is currently experiencing a significant year-over-year decline in points.
The Stanley Cup drought already hangs heavily on the Maple Leafs, and for a star like Matthews, who is vying for a Cup after winning an Olympic gold medal, it would make a lot of sense to leave.
Moreover, the shocking lack of camaraderie among the Maple Leafs on the ice during the Matthews-Gudas debacle is concerning. Leafs players showed little interest in showing up for their captain’s rescue. Could all these factors come together to incentivize the prospect of leaving Toronto for Matthews?
Johnston believes that the standout forward will arrive at any decision about his future based on how things fare for the rest of the season. Ultimately, he would want to be a part of a team that can still compete. However, even if a situation arises that involves trading Matthews, it is unlikely that the Maple Leafs will come out as winners of such a trade.
“Even coming off two frustrating seasons where he battled injuries and failed to score at previous intergalactic rates, it’s impossible to concoct a scenario where the Leafs would be better off without him,” Johnston wrote in his recent contribution to The Athletic, emphasizing Matthews’ centrality to the franchise.
Moreover, the Leafs captain’s four-year, $53 million contract has a full no-movement clause. There is no way the Toronto front office could secure a comparable return for Matthews, given the severely limited options.
Matthews is already one of the finest players in the NHL, making it extremely unlikely for the Leafs to land the better end of any prospective trade.
“The no-movement clause in Matthews’ contract would severely limit Toronto’s ability to get anything close to fair value on the trade market, and generally speaking, NHL teams that unload superstar talent don’t tend to come out on the happy side of those deals anyway,” Johnston wrote.
Even though injuries have taken a toll on his numbers, the 28-year-old remains a star player who could play a critical role as the Leafs try to retool on the fly. Matthews remains the core piece the Maple Leafs could fashion themselves around.
