Matthews, Rielly open up about future with Maple Leafs

TORONTO – If you were looking for definitive answers on the future of key members of the Toronto Maple Leafs, locker room cleanout was not the place to find it.

The Leafs players met with the media for the final time in a disappointing 2025-26 season, which saw the Leafs finish with the fifth-worst record in the league and a 32-36-14 record. In the wake of this step back, there were plenty of questions surrounding the direction of the team going forward, and in turn, what will happen to some of the core players.

Leafs captain Auston Matthews has been at the forefront of that conversation. The superstar center will be 29 at the beginning of the 2026-27 season, and if Toronto is projected to go down the path of a rebuild, he may want to go elsewhere to find a Stanley Cup.

While Matthews didn’t come anywhere close to saying he wants out of Toronto, he also didn’t outright speak against the rumours either.

“I can’t predict the future,” Matthews said. “Obviously, there’s steps that have to take place. They’re going to hire new leadership and management. So, I don’t really know.

“There’s always noise and there’s always chatter. I think personally, I really don’t pay attention to all that. I just focus on myself, focus on this team, and try to be a part of the solution.”

Matthews will enter the third year of his four-year contract with a $13.25 million cap hit, which means that come 2028, he will be an unrestricted free agent, and be able to pick any team he feels could be the best fit for him, depending on what he wants.

While the Leafs are still two years out from that, some clarity on the situation will likely be needed, both in terms of Matthews knowing the direction of the team, and the Leafs knowing what Matthews’ future plans are. In the event that he doesn’t see a future with the team, the more time, the better for the Leafs to find a suitable trade to move on from him.

Another player whose future with the Leafs is up in the air is Morgan Rielly, although for different reasons. Rielly has certainly expressed how much he loves playing in Toronto and wants to remain a Leaf, but he also recognizes the Leafs may look to move him. However, Rielly still has final say on a move, as his contract contains a no-move clause. He has four years remaining on his eight-year contract with a $7.5 million cap hit.

“It’s a challenging thing to answer when those conversations haven’t happened yet,” Rielly said. “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. It’s not the first time that it’s crossed my mind. It’s not something that anyone believes that they’re not open to. So when that conversation happens, we’ll deal with it accordingly.”

So much is up in the air because the direction of the Leafs remains unknown without management in place. Now two-and-a-half weeks removed from firing general manager Brad Treliving, the Leafs remain in search of a new GM, and potentially a president of hockey operations as well. While there have been several frontrunners to have emerged and be a part of the conversation, the Leafs don’t seem to be close on a replacement.