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Toronto Maple Leafs: Don’t worry about Auston Matthews’ future with team

By David Morassutti

Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates his 1st of two goals against the Boston Bruins in Game Four of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on April 17, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Bruins defeated the Maple Leafs 6-4. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates his 1st of two goals against the Boston Bruins in Game Four of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on April 17, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Bruins defeated the Maple Leafs 6-4. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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People have been getting worked up about Auston Matthews’ future with the Toronto Maple Leafs for some reason and it shouldn’t be a concern.

Considering everything the Toronto Maple Leafs have been dealing with, the last think Leafs Nation should be worrying about is whether Auston Matthews re-signs…five years from now!

To be fair, this topic was not started up by Leafs fans but it is one that is a typical media-driven debate that really shouldn’t be an issue right now but apparently, it is. A big part of it has to do with how a comment on the radio in Toronto gets shared on social media and it gets people riled up.

So for those who are wondering why this is being brought up in the first place, then you might have missed Brian Burke’s latest appearance on Sportsnet’s 590 the Fan. Talking on Prime Time Sports, the former NHL GM said he thinks Matthews will leave once his contract is up.

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Of course, this is just his opinion and unless he took a DeLorean to the year 2024, Burke cannot say for certain what Matthews’ plan is. At the same time, we don’t know what will happen five years from now as well but it’s not something that should be a concern.

Burke also hasn’t had a lot of positive things to say about the Leafs or Kyle Dubas so he’s not exactly going to try and say what Leafs fans want to hear. And don’t worry about it.

Considering the Leafs are still trying to get Mitch Marner signed, and have many other question marks to think about like trying to win a Stanley Cup.

This has been a consistent issue considering how much William Nylander‘s contract was a big sideshow and how much Marner’s negotiations were talked about while the team was trying to compete for the playoffs.

To be fair, this is not something that every fan is getting preoccupied about but when you see people getting into arguments about something that was said on the radio that isn’t a big concern right now, it’s tough to ignore.

I’m not going to lecture people on what they shouldn’t be worried about, but if you want to let Matthews’ future be a concern, they should also be given enough reason to not be worried.

For starters, Matthews has made it known that he would be honoured to be the captain of the Leafs. Of course, the counter-argument to that point is that John Tavares was willing to leave his role as the Islanders captain to come home for Toronto, Matthews could obviously have the same thoughts.

When you think about what Matthews has been able to accomplish both on and off the ice, there really is no reason for him to risk that unless it’s for something that is bigger and better. Going home to Arizona has the appeal as the local star and he’s smart enough to realize when the right time will be.

Whether that eases any nerves or not shouldn’t be the issue, just worry about this upcoming season and hoping that the Leafs can take the next step as contenders instead of contract talks five years from now.

What are your thoughts on the Matthews situation? Do you think it’s something the team should be concerned about or is it nonsense? Let us know in the comments below.

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