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Maple Leafs Insider Floats Unthinkable Auston Matthews Trade

Originally posted on NHL Trade Talk | By Jim Parsons | Last updated Nov 20, 2025 8:17 PM ET

Nick Kypreos dropped a whopper idea on Leafs Nation this week, suggesting the Toronto Maple Leafs may eventually have to consider exploring an Auston Matthews trade. Co-host of the Kyper and Bourne Show thought it was a wild idea and a likely unthinkable result of the Leafs continuing to play poorly, but injury concerns, playoff uncertainty, and the ticking clock on Matthews’ contract were all cited as reasons Kypreos wasn’t ruling it out.

Kypreos argued that availability now and moving forward is something the Maple Leafs might need to address. Matthews was on the ice for the third consecutive day on Thursday, but won’t play versus the Columbus Blue Jackets. It’s another game he’ll miss in a chunk of games the superstar hasn’t been around for over the past several seasons.

He played 67 games last season, and the pattern emerging this year is concerning. Dealing with another muscle-related injury, the Leafs are facing a season where every game matters. They’re sitting with playoff odds hovering around 11.25 percent, according to MoneyPuck, and they’ve already proven they’re not the same team that survived long stretches without him when they won the Atlantic.

The Optics in Toronto Seem To Be Getting Worse for Matthews

This season has the organization thinking differently than it used to. Frankly, it’s a different world. Missing Matthews and Marner simultaneously has pushed the Leafs into dangerous territory. If Toronto falls out of the race and misses the playoffs, the organization enters a long, uncomfortable summer—one where Matthews is two years away from the end of his contract and eligible for an extension next season.

If the Maple Leafs start to question how much they can rely on his health to stay in good standing, they might want to trade him while he still has solid return value. Given his elite ability to score, Matthews will always fetch a return. However, if it turns out he can’t stay in the lineup regularly, the Maple Leafs might have no choice but to consider a nuclear option.

Kypreos’ point is simple: you can’t live this same storyline two years in a row—the uncertainty, the injuries, the whispers about whether Matthews is playing at full strength. Toronto needs clarity, not limbo.

Nobody is saying a trade is imminent. But if the Leafs keep sliding, and Matthews’ health remains a cloud over the franchise, the conversation shifts from impossible to inevitable.

This article first appeared on NHL Trade Talk and was syndicated with permission.

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