“I don’t know if there’s anything specific,” Matthews said. “I mean, I think those conversations are going to be, you know, personal and private.
“We’re not even at that point yet. Obviously, we’re still in the searching phase, I guess you can say, for them. So, I think when those conversations come and when the time comes, those conversations will just happen organically.”
Matthews said his rehab is going well. He was wearing a brace on his left knee and leaned on a counter for support as he addressed the two dozen reporters in attendance.
Before taking questions, he made an opening statement that included taking his share of responsibility for the lost season. The Maple Leafs finished 32-36-14, second worst in the Eastern Conference, and missed the postseason for the first time in Matthews’ career in Toronto, which began in the 2016-17 season.
Selected No. 1 by the Maple Leafs in the 2016, Matthews has 428 goals since his NHL debut, the most in the NHL in that span.
“This year we didn’t meet the goals or the expectations that we set out at the start,” he said. “And ultimately, that’s on me, that’s on us as players. We’re the ones that have to go out there and compete and play the game, and we didn’t do that well enough this year, consistently enough this year to put ourselves in a better spot.
“We love our fans, and we appreciate our fans, and I think we understand their frustration. I think we wear that alongside them. I think everybody here wants to win, wants to do their part to help the team win.
“I love being the captain of this team. I think it’s an incredible honor to wake up every day and wear this jersey. And that’s not lost on me.”
When asked how the Maple Leafs went from 108 points and an Atlantic Division title in 2024-25 to a 30-point regression and a basement finish this past one, Matthews said, “I think that’s more complicated than I can really answer. I mean, I think just the level of consistency that we didn’t play with, you know, hurt, because I thought we had really good stretches of hockey throughout the year and put together some good games. But just the consistency night after night wasn’t there.”
Matthews said he’s optimistic the Maple Leafs have the core in place to improve next season. The 28-year-old includes himself in that conversation after registering career-lows in goals (27) and points (53) in 60 games.
“I mean, I believe in the guys in this room and the people that we have here,” he said. “Like I said, we’re going to hire new leadership and management, and there’s going to be changes, and that’s just the way things go.
“But I think we’re all hopeful that this is kind of like a one off. I’ve seen it kind of happen to a couple teams. I mean, I think Boston’s obviously the latest example, but you kind of hope that you can bounce back and be in a better situation than we were this year. “
