Auston Matthews makes major announcement about his future with the Leafs
There has been more than a moderate amount of speculation over what Auston Matthews may wish to do this summer. Does he plan to say? Would he prefer a trade? Does he want to play out the final year of his deal and then test free agency in 2024? Well, we finally have our answer.
Matthews spoke with the media on the Leafs' locker cleanout day on Monday, emphasizing that he wants to remain a Leaf and that he wants his contract extension sorted out before the start of next season. "My intention is to be here," said Matthews on Monday. He also stated that he has a strong belief in the current core and in Kyle Dubas as a GM.
Matthews was also asked whether he believes there will be major or minor changes taking place this summer. Naturally, the answer he gave was a rather vague one.
The former 2-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner and reigning league MVP also admitted that he had been banged up for most of the year, but did not make any excuses for his failure to execute, stating that it's his job "to push through that".
Obviously, it's early in the offseason to begin negotiating his new deal, but the good news is that we now know exactly where Matthews stands. He wants to be a Leaf and he wants a chance to continue to build some momentum that he and the team can use to get beyond round 2 next year. There will be plenty more to come on this front this summer.
| POLL | ||
MAI 15 | 455 ANSWERS Auston Matthews makes major announcement about his future with the Leafs How many years will Matthews sign for? | ||
| 4-5 | 107 | 23.5 % |
| 3 or less | 130 | 28.6 % |
| 6-7 | 44 | 9.7 % |
| The full 8-year max-term | 174 | 38.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
