Dave Litman
The Toronto Maple Leafs have a very busy summer ahead of them. The new management team of GM John Chayka and senior executive advisor Mats Sundin are well aware of that. And they need to get moving quickly.
The top priority on their list overall seems to be to convince captain Auston Matthews that it’s all worth sticking around for. They’ve had a preliminary Zoom call with him, which was said to have been ‘positive’.
Now the hard part begins. According to insider David Pagnotta, speaking on The Sheet with Jeff Marek, there are six conditions that must be met in order to satisfy Matthews that they’re headed in the right direction.
6 provisions Leafs must meet to satisfy Auston Matthews, per insider
- Projected No. 1 pick Gavin McKenna is on board
- The blueline has been upgraded to become more mobile
- They’ve found a “legitimate” third-line center
- The fourth line “has been fixed”
- “They understand where their goaltending is”
- It all must be done by July 15th
And Pagnotta didn’t even include the other major hole that must be filled: A new head coach. Will Matthews approve of whomever that choice is?
“Auston wants to win in Toronto,” said Pagnotta. “But if this team isn’t primed and positioned to (win) now, then why are we wasting everybody’s time?”
To that end, one of the biggest questions that isn’t being asked: Shouldn’t this be about the Leafs demanding buy-in from Matthews himself before they can understand what direction they’re going and what the top needs are on the team?
For example, if the captain isn’t committed, then finding a true No. 1 center becomes a top focus, never mind a 3C. And maybe a complete tear-down would be in order. That would completely change the focal point of the moves that need to be made this summer. Even the choice of head coach would be different.
It seems like going all-out to satisfy a player with only two years left on his contract, who hasn’t shown any real inclination to be the guy they can build a true Stanley Cup contender around, is a very tenuous place to be.
But this is the bed the Maple Leafs seem to have made for themselves. And we’ll find out how they intend to lie in it as the next six weeks or so unfold.
