The high price the Maple Leafs must pay to keep Auston Matthews in Toronto
Photo credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
So, Toronto wants to keep their captain? Then they need to prove they deserve him and start making some serious changes that make him feel like it's worth staying and it starts at the top.
There's been a lot of discussion recently about Auston Matthews and whether or not he's going to want to stick around through a rebuild. Things need to change quickly if they want to keep him, and he's certainly got a lot of time on his hands to think now that he's recovering from a torn MCL.
The massive front office overhaul that Matthews has been waiting for
Well according to James Mirtle, it's going to take a lot for the Maple Leafs to convince Matthews to buy-in, and it's going to start at the top although there are some roadblocks going forward.
First off, Matthews is gonna need to see both Brad Treliving and Craig Berube out. The latter is likely headed to the unemployment line come the end of the season, and it'll be up to a new coach who has the captain's best interests in mind - mainly getting back to that offensive dominance.
Berube neutered Matthews into oblivion, and that's inexcusable. Matthews is going to watch closely and see how quickly action takes place. It's not only that the team fires Berube, it's that they have a plan in mind for a new coach such as Peter DeBoer or Manny Malhotra.
But that plan is being built by someone who also doesn't know if he's going to be sticking around and that's Brad Treliving. He's had no plan, and according to Mirtle won't have one until he knows his status going forward.
That's a horrible decision overall as Matthews just has to sit and wait until something happens. With how notoriously slow and patient Toronto seems to be, who knows when they'll actually do the work (or if they've even started researching).
If Toronto can show Matthews they are bringing in the right personnel (perhaps even a Team President again), then it may give him pause about leaving in 2028.
Why a lack of draft capital and assets make supporting Auston Matthews a gargantuan task
But the issue now then becomes, who does the team surround him with? Right now there's no way this roster is even going to sniff the playoffs and there needs to be real changes.
You have to cut ties with people who no longer offer a benefit on the ice. Morgan Rielly, Max Domi, Steven Lorentz, Calle Jarnkrok, Simon Benoit - all of them need to go.
Bring in someone who can actually quarterback a power-play, give Matthews a proper playmaker and supporting cast and perhaps figure out which two of your four goalies you want to work with going forward.
However the deadline is over, Toronto is really only going to have the draft to work with either for making deals or drafting prospects. It really depends on how they end their season and whether they have their top-five pick or not.
If they have it, then it's likely they can use it to take a superstar to complement Matthews such as Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg or Keaton Verhoeff or even use it as bait for a massive blockbuster.
But if they don't, they are going to get into a lot of trouble. Rising cap means minimal cap dumps, and whoever comes in is going to have a lot of work to do in order to not only manage some bad deals, but bring in new ones.
It's time for the Maple Leafs to start getting their ducks in a row because if they don't have things prepared for Auston Matthews, he's going to walk out the door.
At that point, what then?
Also read on Hockey Patrol :
Radko Gudas is immediately in trouble with Joel Quenneville after return from Auston Matthews suspension
Radko Gudas is immediately in trouble with Joel Quenneville after return from Auston Matthews suspension
Previously on Hockey Patrol
| POLL | ||
MARS 25|2003 ANSWERS The high price the Maple Leafs must pay to keep Auston Matthews in Toronto Should the Toronto Maple Leafs think about potentially trading Auston Matthews? | ||
| Yes | 1417 | 70.7 % |
| No | 586 | 29.3 % |
| List of polls | ||