With new report of conditions in Arizona this season, there's no way Matthews would consider leaving the Leafs for the Coyotes
When Leafs President Brendan Shanahan dismissed Kyle Dubas on Friday, it definitely sent a shockwave through Leafs Nation and left us all with more questions than answers, even following Shanahan's press conference following the announcement.
Now, with no GM in place, but contract extensions due for both Auston Matthews and William Nylander this summer, as well as full no-movement clauses for both Matthews and Mitch Marner kicking in on July 1st, the Leafs are playing on borrowed time here to get the ball rolling on the feeling out process with all 3 of these players. In addition, there are a glut of RFAs and UFAs in Toronto who are in need to new deals and whom the team will need to make important decisions on.
This weekend, both Elliotte Friedman and Chris Johnston had reported that Auston Matthews may now delay a decision on his future in Toronto and opt to not sign his extension on July 1st, as was originally anticipated. Instead, the expectation is now that Matthews will wait for the team to provide a more clear direction of where things will be going. The team is really playing with fire here.
There has been a lot of speculation over the last couple of days that Matthews may want out and that he could look to allow his NMC to kick in and either force a trade back home to Arizona or play out the final year of his deal and sign with the Yotes as a UFA next summer. Well, if a new report about the Coyotes is any indicator, that simply won't happen.
Matthews has grown accustomed to certain luxuries that are available to him in Toronto that simply don't exist in Arizona. For one, he'd be leaving one of the top organizations in the league for a basement-dweller who is currently playing home games in a college arena in front of less than 5,000 fans. Also, all of those high-priced endorsements that are available to him in a huge market like Toronto? Kiss those goodbye. But it's not either of these things that may be the deal-breaker for Matthews.
Per a recent report, the Coyotes were very unhappy with how the team handled travel and hotel accommodations for the players this season. In fact, the report stated that the players dealt with "sub-standard travel, lodging and logistical issues" all year, which went against what the NHLPA had negotiated for in the NHL/NHLPA's collective bargaining agreement.
So you mean to tell me, that with all of this going on in Arizona, along with the news that Tempe had voted against a proposal to build a new arena for the team, is going to be somehow attractive to bona-fide superstar like Auston Matthews? Not a chance.
None of this is to say that Matthews won't choose to force a trade elsewhere or sign elsewhere next summer. Those are still very real possibilities if the Leafs' management and ownership fumble the ball this summer. But for now, I think we can rule the Coyotes out.
| POLL | ||
MAI 21 | 121 ANSWERS With new report of conditions in Arizona this season, there's no way Matthews would consider leaving the Leafs for the Coyotes Does this latest development regarding the Coyotes mean that Auston Matthews won't leave Toronto for Arizona? | ||
| Yes, there's no way he's going to AZ now | 36 | 29.8 % |
| No, he still may want to play at home | 13 | 10.7 % |
| He'll leave, but not for Arizona | 45 | 37.2 % |
| He's staying in Toronto regardless | 27 | 22.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
