Photo Credit: Azadeh Kashani, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Matthews Must Be Moved
The Toronto Maple Leafs are in a cap crunch crisis.
The salary cap is only going up by a million bucks next year. Which pretty much all but ensures the platinum card club will be broken up. At least one of the super-rich members of the Toronto Maple Leafs core four needs to be traded.
I would prefer William Nylander. But the Leafs general manager, Kyle Dubas, stupidly promised not to trade Nylander. A promise Dubas appears to be keeping come hell or high water.
Trading Mitch Marner would make the most sense. But he's the hometown hero. Tavares has that pesky NTC and is Captain. Not that Dubas would dare think about trading Tavares anyway.
Which leaves Auston Matthews a very, very, attractive trade chip.
Leafs Can't Afford To Keep Auston Matthews
Sure, trading the best player in the history of the Toronto Maple Leafs sounds insane. Nobody WANTS to trade a sixty goal, 100 point player. A generational talent and 1C. But they might not have a choice. Dubas and his little capologist buddy, Brandon Pridham, have done this to themselves.
The situation is entirely one of their own creation.
Matthews only has a year left on his deal and a NTC due to take effect July 1st. Given Matthews contract structure the team HAS to make a decision on whether he really is the future face of the franchise. Or is he just a flash in the pan showboating woman bullyer come to get rich and leave town as soon as possible thereafter?
The fans see Matthews as nothing but a spoiled American rich kid anyway. A coach killer that turned on Babcock and then again on Keefe. Even going so far as getting benched for calling out Keefe in the media.
Matthews May Not Even Want To Be Here
I wouldn't hold it against him if he doesn't. It's almost -40 outside today. I don't even want to be here anymore. I don't have a choice though. Matthews does.
If Auston Matthews doesn't want to stay he needs to make his intentions clear very soon.
The Leafs absolutely must, must, must, find out where Matthews loyalty lays. They don't have much time and need to make a decision very soon. If Matthews doesn't commit to a contract extension before his NTC kicks in they need to trade him.
It's as simple as that.
The Leafs can't afford to lose Matthews to free agency like they did so many others. It's one thing to let players like Gardiner and Bozak walk. It's a different story when Matthews does.
This isn't about the money. It's about loyalty. And being a team player. If it's money Matthews wants, it's money Matthews will get.
Whether it will be the Toronto Maple Leafs giving it to him or not remains to be seen.
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