NHL Insider reveals the latest on the Leafs and Auston Matthews, including a reported breakthrough

According to Friedman, new Leafs GM Brad Treliving recently met with Matthews in Arizona, with Treliving taking Matthews to dinner in his own neck of the woods - or in this case, the desert. Friedman mentioned that the news coming out of Arizona about those meetings was very positive, though the two sides may not have even spoken about numbers and that it was likely more of just a trip so that the two could meet each other to begin to establish a bond.

"I'm even more convinced [now] he is signing," said Friedman. "The one thing I remember is... the last time [Treliving] had dinner with a player was Jonathan Huberdeau in Montreal. Three days after Huberdeau ate that dinner, he signed the extension with Calgary. It's already been longer than 3 days, but I am convinced he is going to sign in Toronto... I think both sides understand that this isn't a decision that can wait a long time. [The Leafs] have to know what this is going to look like so they can make a number of long term decisions. Everyone, including Matthews' people, recognize he wants to stay."

Pretty encouraging news if you're a Leafs fan. There's still a little over 2 weeks until Matthews is eligible to actually sign an extension, but it wouldn't surprise me at this point if the parameters of a deal were agreed upon ahead of time and the deal is signed on July 1st, as originally intended before Kyle Dubas was let go.