Auston Matthews Sends Clear Message Ahead of Maple Leafs’ 2025-26 Season

Auston Matthews Has Moved On from Mitch Marner Era

Marner’s exit freed up critical cap space for general manager Brad Treliving to operate during the offseason.

While no big-name players arrived in Toronto, Treliving did enough to reshape the roster with new additions and role players following Marner's sign-and-trade with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Matthews also pointed to internal growth as a key factor for success.

“Guys are going to have to take some steps, but I think that’s a good thing, a good problem to have,” Matthews said.

Although Matthews is excited about next season, he acknowledged the team will inevitably miss Marner, who's coming off a career-best 102-point season.

“We’ll obviously miss him. He’s a great friend, great teammate,” Matthews said. “That’s kind of the business side of it. That’s tough, but obviously I wish him nothing but the best, and yeah, we’ll just keep it moving.”

Auston Matthews Reveals His Mindset Entering New Season

Toronto’s 2024–25 season ended in a 6–1 loss to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in the second round.

The defeat marked another early exit for a core that has struggled to advance in the postseason, winning just two series in the Auston Matthews era.

Matthews, coming off a career-low 33-goal campaign while managing a nagging injury, said he is healthy and prepared to bounce back.

“Every year, going into it, I wanna be focused, wanna be ready, ready to compete from the get-go,” Matthews said. “It’s (what) we got to be focused, got to be willing to obviously do whatever it takes to win, it’s obviously a hard league to win in.

"For us, it’s not getting too far ahead of ourselves, too, staying in the moment, making sure we just take care of the day."