With Justin Beiber considering buying the Senators, could Matthews follow him to Ottawa?
Last week on Elliotte Friedman's 32 Thoughts podcast, Jeff Marek revealed that Canadian pop megastar Justin Bieber, among others, were looking into buying the Ottawa Senators organization. The Sens are likely to be sold in the wake of owner Eugene Melnyk's tragic passing. Bieber has made his love of hockey clear for years, and certainly has the money to be part of an ownership group to purchase the struggling franchise.
Auston Matthews' friendship with Bieber started out as a result of Bieber's massive Leafs fandom. According to Matthews, one of their early conversations involved Biebs lamenting the Leafs' need for an upgrade of defense "We need a guy like Bryan McCabe." Since then the two have become close friends and Bieber's involvement with the Leafs has grown as a result.
Bieber has partnered with the Leafs with his Drew House clothing collection. There have been two limited edition collaborations between the Leafs and Drew House, along with the Leafs' alternate jersey, which was debuted during the Next Gen game last month.
Matthews is often seen wearing Drew House clothing, and always included in the promotions when the Leafs collaborate with the clothing brand. Bieber is often seen in a luxury box at Leafs games, and makes occasional visits to the Leafs' dressing room to hang out with the team before and after games.
If Bieber were to buy the Senators before Matthews becomes a UFA, could it spell trouble for the Leafs? The Senators are young and have talented players on the roster, including Brady Tkachuk, with whom Matthews is very close. Most importantly, they have all kinds of cap space.
With competent management and an ownership group willing to spend to the cap, they could become a very good team. If they look like they can be competitive and one of his best friends is the owner, Matthews may consider a move to the Senators - especially if they'll agree to make him the highest paid player on the planet.
The thought of Matthews in a Sens jersey makes me physically ill, so I'll be praying that someone comes along and outbids Bieber so that we don't have to worry about such a nightmare becoming a cruel reality. If Dubas is smart, he'll hand Matthews a blank cheque for an 8-year deal as soon as he becomes eligible to sign an extension and tells him to write in any number he wants.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 7 | 414 ANSWERS With Justin Beiber considering buying the Senators, could Matthews follow him to Ottawa? If Justin Bieber buys the Sens, would Matthews consider signing in Ottawa as a UFA? | ||
| Not a chance, Auston bleeds blue | 106 | 25.6 % |
| John Tavares left the Islanders, so maybe | 56 | 13.5 % |
| Only if they're good | 25 | 6 % |
| Bieber isn't buying the Sens | 227 | 54.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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