Auston Matthews meets John Chayka in Arizona this week and the entire Maple Leafs future is on the line
Photo credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images (left), Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images (right)
The Toronto Maple Leafs future is in full swing as John Chayka and Auston Matthews will soon have a meeting that could decide the next step.
New Toronto Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka will be speaking with Leafs captain Auston Matthews, the first official meeting between the two.
Pierre LeBrun reported on TSN's Overdrive that the two sides will speak in the coming days in Arizona, setting up a conversation that could help dictate the Leafs future plans.
The planned talks come as reports have suggested that the future of Auston Matthews is in some degree of doubt as the Leafs captain wants to see upgrades made following Toronto failing to make the playoffs.
Chayka choosing to fly to Arizona instead of summoning Matthews to Toronto signals exactly how this conversation is going to go
John Chayka will be returning to Arizona, the place he began his management career while the Coyotes GM, but it's as well the current residence of Matthews.
Chayka is heading out directly to speak to the captain rather than bring him back to Toronto or speak to the 28-year-old virtually, a clear step towards making serious inroads in their professional relationship.
The Leafs obtaining the top pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, likely to select Gavin McKenna, may have boosted Matthews' belief in the direction the team is going in, but is only a starter for a greater boost this offseason.
What the two sides will talk about is unknown, but highly likely is that the talks will revolve around next steps and Matthews' current comfort level with the team, as well as potentially getting the captain's view on the future of Toronto head coach Craig Berube.
Berube's future hasn't been confirmed for his status next season, and him remaining behind the bench is still an uncertainty which way Toronto will go.
The Arizona meeting carries weight because Chayka's last hockey memories in that state are the ones that nearly ended his career
Arizona was the state that began, and almost ended Chayka's NHL career. Hired as a boy wonder and analytics guru, Chayka's career came to an end after two controversies.
Chayka was let go after he cost the Coyotes their first round pick due to illegal draft combine workouts with prospects, as well as having been suspended by the league for having private interviews with other GM's without team permission.
There are clear burning questions left uncertain that Chayka will have to work on, but the big focus remains getting Auston Matthews happy with Chayka's plan to bring the Leafs back into contention, and that it aligns with the goals of Matthews himself.
The Arizona Coyotes are currently inactive, but its ghost still remains burned into Chayka's mind as the city that birthed what should have been hockey's next great mind, now going into Arizona trying to get his captain to buy in to his second chance.
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