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Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Treliving Addressed Auston Matthews’ Future, and It’s Hughes-Like

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Jim Parsons | Last updated Mar 17, 2026 1:05 PM ET

Toronto Maple Leafs’ general manager Brad Treliving addressed Auston Matthews‘ future contract situation directly during his media availability at the NHL GM meetings in Florida on March 16, 2026. Saying there are no plans to make a decision today, he didn’t rule out anything for the summer.

Following news of Matthews’ season-ending knee injury (from the Radko Gudas hit), backlash aimed at the team for not responding, and speculation that maybe all parties feel like the frustration level is too high for this to keep working, the Maple Leafs’ disappointing season will lead to all sorts of questions — Matthews’ future being the biggest.

What’s Going to Happen with Matthews Moving Forward?

The team is all but out of the playoff mix. Meanwhile, Matthews is sitting around, injured, likely contemplating everything from what went wrong to how he can help to whether he’s better off elsewhere. The Maple Leafs will likely have those same conversations internally.

Speculation about whether the team might consider major changes will linger as the season winds down and as the draft and free agency approach. The time to trade him, if they’re going to, might be now.

Still, Treliving isn’t showing his hand. He said:

“Auston is under contract. As we do with all of our players, we’ll talk about things as we get into the offseason. Our focus right now is that we have 15 games or so — 14 games — ahead of us to finish out the year. We will dive into all of those issues later.”

He emphasized that no immediate decisions or discussions are happening now—the priority remains grinding out the final stretch of the regular season. Treliving says he’s treating the Matthews’ situation the same as any other player’s: standard offseason review, no rush while the current campaign is ongoing. Then again, we all know that Matthews is no standard player for the Maple Leafs.

Why Would Trading Him This Summer Make the Most Sense?

Matthews’ current deal runs through the 2027-28 season. His four-year, $53 million extension (AAV $13.25M) means he’s under contract for two more full seasons after this one. There is no UFA risk imminently, but the Leafs could explore an extension to lock him up longer or test the market on a trade.

Matthews is having a down year (as are most of the Maple Leafs), but he’s 28, still in his prime, and he’s an attraction. Teams will be interested, and the Maple Leafs will get a solid return.

There isn’t any obvious urgency, but some underlying concern is likely creeping in. Carlo Colaiacovo said on TSN First Up, “You’re entering a Quinn Hughes situation.” The Leafs have struggled, became sellers at the deadline for the first time in years, and Matthews’ injury has amplified rebuild/retool talk. In Vancouver, a similar situation led to Hughes being moved. Jim Rutherford made comments about Hughes’ future, and that got the ball rolling. Treliving was more measured here, but…

Colaiacovo said, “You’re going to increase any type of return that you would entertain for an Austin Matthews discussion around a trade by evaluating it this summer.”

If it becomes obvious that Matthews has eyes on something else (as it became apparent for Hughes), Toronto might entertain moving him for assets right away. Toronto can ill-afford to make a mistake here. Getting less than he’s worth, letting things linger too long, or giving leverage to another team in trade discussions are all bad.

Then again, if the Leafs plan to take this summer to discuss ways to flip this past season and aim to become immediate contenders again, Matthews has to be part of that push, no?