Radio host goes on epic rant about Auston Matthews' future in Toronto already being decided

Following the departure of now former Leafs GM Kyle Dubas, it left a lot of questions up in the air, but perhaps none more important than; "what does this mean for Auston Matthews' future in Toronto?". Well, this morning on TSN1050's First Up, the guys were joined by OverDrive host Kevin Hayes, who had a lot to say on the subject.

Hayes touched on two very important details about the Matthews saga this morning - the first being what the contract itself should look like if Matthews does sign an extension at some point this summer or during the season and the second was that Matthews has very likely already made up his mind on whether he'd like to stay or go.

"When it comes to [Auston] Matthews... he's gonna be the highest paid player in the league. That's gonna happen... The Leafs are aware of that. The Leafs know that. He's going to get the highest cap hit in the league. The highest cap hit right now is $12.6M. Nathan MacKinnon's got it. Matthews is up, it's gonna be $12.7M per year, plus. Like, that's what's coming. Whether it's a 3-year deal, 5-year deal, 7, 8-year deal.. there will be negotiating, there will be haggling there, but Matthews knows exactly what's going to be there. He's going to get a full no-move, full no-trade, a crazy amount of signing bonus money and he's going to be the highest paid player in the league. It's already going to happen and everyone knows it and the Leafs wants that to happen. Matthews, I'm sure, will be seeking that out, so it's about trying to draw a line in the sand for pushing it that much further and pushing back and being adamant that it's in the best interest of everyone, including Auston if he wants to be here, for it to be a 7 or 8-year deal if possible and for it to be closer to $12.7M per year than to $14M or $14.5M, $15M or whatever. That's where the Leafs have got to put their stake in the ground." - Hayes on what Matthews' next deal should look like and where the team should draw the line

That's a very sensible take from Hayes, who seemed fed up with the narrative that the Leafs needs to pay players more because of the high tax rates in Ontario. At the end of the day, Matthews' cap hit is not going to be his only source of income. He'll also be afforded countless opportunities to make money on endorsements while playing for one of the top markets in the NHL.

As far as what Hayes had to say about Matthews staying or going, he was adamant that Matthews isn't caught up in some sort of a major dilemma in his head. Hayes believes that Matthews has already made up his mind on whether or not he wants to be in Toronto long-term.

"From Matthews' standpoint... I believe, just based on watching these situations play out in pro sports, that he's already made up his mind if he wants to be here or if he wants to leave. He knows everything he needs to know based on lived experience. He's lived in Toronto his whole adult life - 7 years. His whole pro career, he's been a Maple Leaf, it's all he's known. The day he showed up, he was a star and he was the best player and he was the most popular player. It's all he's known for 7 years. The ownership has been consistent for 7 years. Shanahan has been here for 7 years. Team services, the trainers. He knows where he lives, he knows his community, he knows where he goes for coffee, his favourite restaurants - he's got it all, based on lived experience. I think from that standpoint, he's probably already made up his mind and guess what - they've been to the playoffs 7 straight years. Every year he's been in the league, they've been in the playoffs. No team in pro sports can guarantee a Stanley Cup. You can't do it. All you can do is guarantee that ownership will spend every dime that they can, which they have for 7 years - and I absolutely believe that they will for the next 7 or 8 [years] - and put together the best possible team to help him achieve that goal and get to the playoffs and then the players have to take it from there. That's what the Leafs are going to pitch to him, whoever it is; Dubas, Treliving, Shanahan - I'd be shocked if they didn't go to him and say 'you're the man, we're going to pay you and we're going to continue to hammer away at trying to win... that's what's coming. That's going to be their pitch and if he wants to live here and wants to stay here and wants to play here, then I believe he's already made up his mind. If he wants to leave, I believe he's also made up his mind, because there's nothing left to be determined... It doesn't matter who the coach is, who the GM is, the owner is, the city, what they're going to do for him, the contract.. if he's made up his mind, he's made up his mind." - Hayes on Matthews already knowing whether he wants to stay or leave Toronto

Hayes does make a few really good points during his rant. As he said, there are no surefire guarantees for a Stanley Cup. This year, everyone thought it was Boston's Cup to lose. Well, the Florida Panthers certainly reminded them that any team can win a 7-game series with the right attitude and full team effort. Now, the 17th place Panthers are just 5 wins away from their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

In addition, the fact that Matthews is already rooted in Toronto and has declared on a number of occasions that he has every intention of staying here could play a huge role in his decision - one that Hayes clearly believes he's already made.

POLL
24 MAI \| 331 ANSWERS Radio host goes on epic rant about Auston Matthews' future in Toronto already being decided Do you think Auston Matthews has already made up his mind about staying or leaving?
Yes	260	78.5 %
No	25	7.6 %
Dubas firing may have changed everything	46	13.9 %
LIST OF POLLS

Radio host goes on epic rant about Auston Matthews' future in Toronto already being decided

Do you think Auston Matthews has already made up his mind about staying or leaving?