Newly hired general manager John Chayka and senior advisor Mats Sundin are going to have to hit the ground running now that they have taken over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
One of the new executive team’s immediate objectives is to get a clear picture of the team’s franchise player, Auston Matthews.
Matthews, 28, just finished his 10th season with the Maple Leafs and his first season without making the postseason.
The 6-foot-3 centre has two seasons remaining on his contract but told reporters that he “can’t predict the future” when asked about his future with the team during the team’s locker cleanout on April 16.
TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston said in his column on The Athletic on Tuesday that, despite the fact that the Maple Leafs captain is under contract, he still isn’t sure he’ll be on the team during the 2026-27 campaign.
“We’re going to get together in the next couple weeks and spend some time,” Chayka said after his introductory news conference on Monday. “I think he deserves some answers about where we’re at and where we’re headed, and (I’ll) give him a forum to provide feedback and ask questions and then take it from there.”
Matthews finished last season with career lows in all statistical categories, recording 27 goals and 53 points in 60 games.
It culminated with a season-ending injury on March 12 after sustaining a grade-three MCL tear and quad contusion from a knee-on-knee hit with Anaheim Ducks captain Radko Gudas.
Matthews is expected to be ready for the new season, and Chayka plans to pick his brain about what he thinks the Maple Leafs need.
“Auston’s the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, this is his team,” Chayka said. “He obviously lived it all year, so I want to get together with him and hear his thoughts on things, and that will kind of help sculpt our vision a bit as well.
“But certainly, as we think about communicating to him, you know, letting him know that there’s still a window here where we feel like he’s one of the best players in the world for a reason and we’ve got some good pieces, and we’ve got a lot of work to do. And kind of walk him through how we want to go about doing that.”
Chayka says he’s had a relationship with Matthews since before the Maple Leafs drafted him first overall in the 2016 draft.
The 36-year-old executive was the general manager of the Arizona Coyotes while Matthews was establishing himself as an NHL prospect in his hometown of Scottsdale, Ariz., and said he got to know him and his family during that time.
“I’ve grown up around Auston, or he has grown up around me, I guess,” Chayka said. “He is an incredible player and an incredible person. I know the team hasn’t gotten to the level he would like or the fans would like. I think he understands that. We are talking about an Olympic champion, a top goal scorer, and an amazing person. It is my job to build around him.”
Chayka admits that this off-season is key in order to convince Matthews that the Maple Leafs are not only a playoff team but can become Stanley Cup contenders.
Toronto took a huge step back last season, finishing last in the Atlantic Division with a 32-36-14 record and questions surrounding the culture of the team ran rampant.
Chayka says he’ll look at what moves are available to the team in order to determine the future direction.
“I think next year’s an important year to get some momentum back,” Chayka said. “Again, we’re in May. We’ve got a long off-season, depending on what moves are available and how we can execute and the hit rate of the moves we make, honestly. That’ll determine [if we consider a rebuild], but I’d rather answer that question in training camp when we have a full view of the roster.”
