TORONTO (AP) — Auston Matthews' tone shifted when the topic of the captain's future with the Toronto Maple Leafs surfaced after their disappointing season ended without a playoff berth for the first time in his NHL career.
“I can’t predict the future,” said Matthews, who has two seasons left on the four-year, $53 million contract he signed in August 2023 and is set to turn 29 in September. “There are steps that are going to have to take place, got
to hire new leadership and management and stuff like that. So, I don’t really know."
Matthews sported a brace on his surgically repaired left knee. His season ended as a result of a knee-on-knee hit from Anaheim's Radko Gudas on March 12, which led to a five-game suspension.
"This was a tough year; it was a frustrating year,” said Matthews, who had a down season with 27 goals and 26 assists in 60 games after putting up 33 and 45 in 2024-25. “We didn’t meet the goals or the expectations that we set out at the start, and ultimately, that’s on me. “That’s on us as players. We’re the ones that have to go out there and compete and play the game, and we didn’t do that well enough this year.”
After losing Mitch Marner to Vegas last summer, Toronto went from 108 to 78 points in the standings — the biggest drop in the franchise's 108-season history. Assistant coach Marc Savard was fired in December in an effort to fix its struggling power play, and general manager Brad Treliving was dismissed in March as the season unraveled.
While Craig Berube made it through the end of the season, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment CEO Keith Pelley said the coach's future will depend on new leadership. Berube said, “Yes,” when asked if he expects to return, adding he hasn’t been told anything different.
Changes are bound to come to the roster. Morgan Rielly, the Leafs' longest-tenured player, has come up in rumors, though the 32-year-old defenseman has four seasons left on his contract and would need to waive his no-trade clause to facilitate a move.
“It’s a challenging thing to answer when those conversations haven’t happened yet,” Rielly said. “But after a year like this, after any year, but especially one that can be very disappointing, change is bound to happen. So I think as an athlete, you have to be prepared for that. I’ve always wanted to stay. I still want to stay."
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