Report: Leafs’ Matthews unsure if he’ll be back with team in 2026-27

All options are on the table when it comes to Auston Matthews’ future with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

When players spoke with media following the 2025-26 regular season, Matthews told reporters he “can’t predict the future” when it came to his status with the club.

But on Tuesday, The Athletic’s Chris Johnston reported the situation has reached a point of uncertainty between the two sides.

“Matthews has two years remaining on his contract, but still isn’t sure if he’ll be back in Toronto in the fall, according to league sources,” Johnston wrote.

The Athletic report comes one day after the team officially introduced John Chayka as the team’s 19th general manager in franchise history, and former captain and Hall of Famer Mats Sundin as a senior executive advisory of hockey operations.

Read more: It’s up to Chayka, Sundin to prove they aren’t dubious Leaf hires. And they know that

“The only sales pitch Matthews needs at this stage is real action, according to league sources,” he added. “Before committing to another season in Toronto, he wants to see a roster that has been meaningfully upgraded through trades and free agency. This isn’t about selling him on a fancy 12-point plan or a bunch of vague promises. Seeing is believing.”

Johnston says Chayka and Sundin will be “auditioning” for Matthews with how they perform through the 2026 NHL Entry Draft in late June and the opening of free agency in early July.

Matthews has two years remaining on a four-year, $53-million extension that pays him $13.25 million per season and comes with a full no-movement clause. If the Leafs and Matthews decided that a trade was the best possible route, this would hinder the return Toronto would be able to get.

“At best, you’d be hoping for a multi-pronged package of future assets similar to what the Vancouver Canucks got back when they traded Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild in December,” Johnston wrote. “A handful of magic beans for a proven game-breaking commodity.”

Matthews played just 60 games in 2025-26 due to injury, the fewest games of his career in a season not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. He scored 27 goals and recorded 26 assists for 53 points.

The Leafs finished the 2025-26 regular season with a 32-36-14 record and 78 points, last in the Atlantic Division, second-last in the Eastern Conference and 28th in the NHL.

In 10 NHL seasons, the Scottsdale, Ariz., native has 428 goals and 352 assists for 780 points in 689 regular-season games. He also has 26 goals and 33 assists for 59 points in 68 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Matthews won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy three times, scoring the most goals in the league in 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2023-24. Following his 2021-22 season, where he scored 60 goals and 46 assists for 106 points, Matthews won the Hart Trophy for the league’s most valuable player, the first time a Maple Leaf had won the award since Ted Kennedy in 1954-55.