Dave Litman
The Toronto Maple Leafs’ new braintrust of John Chayka and Mats Sundin have yet to have their mano-a-mano chat with captain Auston Matthews. But when they do, they hope to find out what his intentions are. Does he wish to remain in Toronto for the two years left on his contract? Or does he want out, after the tire fire of a season that the club just had?
If Matthews does want out, he’ll likely indicate his prefered destinations. Or at least he’ll be asked to. But if the Leafs had their druthers in order to get the best return, insider Jeff Marek has proposed on the DFO Rundown that the Utah Mammoth would be ‘front of the line’ to make a deal.
If Toronto has to make a decision on Auston Matthews, we all wonder about Los Angeles. But they don’t have the assets. You know who does? Utah. Utah is uniquely positioned. If that does happen (Matthews asking out), you can probably move Utah to close to, if not THE front of the line.
If you’re gonna be a team (like the Leafs) that wants to rebuild, and rebuild quickly? Utah has some prime candidates and some outstanding young players that they can move.
Marek’s compatriot, host of the DFO Rundown, Jason Gregor, added that the Mammoth would like to add some size with skill to their mix up front. He didn’t mention Matthews, but the 6’3″, 215-pounder is just that. His two-way game would be a tremedous headliner for the top of their burgeoning lineup.
Matthews has plenty of ties to Mammoth personnel
Sportsnet insider Nick Kypreos is another who sees the obvious link between the former Phoenix-based team (Matthews’ home) and the Leafs’ $13.25 million man.
“Speculation in my inner circle has the Utah Mammoth watching this situation, as they have a few of Matthews’ close friends on their roster, including Clayton Keller.”
Matthews and Keller played together back in 2014-15 with the USHL U-18 team. The Leafs captain grew up in Scottsdale and went to Arizona Coyotes games as a youngster. Yotes legend Shane Doan was one of Matthews’ heroes growing up. Connecting back with that organization, even if it is in a new locale, would likely be enticing for him.
The Mammoth appear to be a team on the rise as well, with several exciting young players. They made a big leap forward this season, taking Utah to the playoffs for the first time with a Wild Card berth.
The Leafs made a big move today in advance of any talks with Matthews, firing head coach Craig Berube. We’ll see how that plays in to the captain’s thoughts moving forward.
