NHL Rumor Roundup: Could The Maple Leafs Ever Move Auston Matthews? Are The Kings Done Dealing?
The Toronto Maple Leafs made a change
behind their bench last week, replacing Marc Savard as an assistant coach with Steve Sullivan. However, some pundits wonder if
they might have something bigger in mind for their roster down the
road.
Last Monday, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos
said he felt the Maple Leafs could talk to Auston Matthews next
summer about the possibility of a trade if they fail to improve over
the rest of this season.
PuckPedia indicates that Matthews, 28, has two more seasons on
his contract with an average annual value of $13.25 million and a
full no-movement clause. Kypreos acknowledged the latter meant the
two sides would have to work together to find a suitable trade
partner if they agreed it was time for a change.
Kypreos felt that a trade of the Leafs
superstar would be more likely to occur in the summer, rather than
during the season. He doubted the recent decline in Matthews’
production would hurt the latter’s value in the trade market. He
suggested some teams don’t believe the drop in his scoring is
permanent.
As for potential trade destinations,
Kypreos mentioned the Los Angeles Kings as a likely candidate. He
pointed out they will be in the market for a replacement for team
captain and first-line center Anze Kopitar, who is retiring at the
end of this season.
Several obstacles must be clear before
the Maple Leafs and Kings can pull this off. First, Matthews would
have to agree to be traded to Los Angeles. Next, and most
importantly, the Kings must find sufficient trade assets to meet the
Leafs’ high asking price.
The Maple Leafs would likely want a
good young NHL center as part of any return for Matthews. They could
target Quinton Byfield as the centerpiece of a package from the
Kings, but the latter could be reluctant to part with the 23-year-old
center. If so, the Leafs could opt to look elsewhere for a suitable
return.
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Speaking of the Kings, Eric Stephens of
The Athletic believes they’re not done making moves after trading
Phillip Danault to the Montreal Canadiens on Dec. 19. He pointed out
that they didn’t get a player back as they originally intended,
having to settle for a second-round pick in 2026.
The Kings were already struggling to
score with Danault in the lineup, and his departure leaves them thin
at the center position. Stephens suggested that the extra
second-rounder will be valuable if the Kings can use it to acquire a
veteran center who can provide immediate improvement. He suggested
Ryan O’Reilly of the Nashville Predators and Brayden Schenn of the
St. Louis Blues as options.
However, the Predators have let it be
known that O’Reilly isn’t ready yet to consider a trade. The Blues
are willing to entertain all their options, but the decline in
Schenn’s performance this season might not make him as valuable as he
was a year ago.
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