3 Teams Were Hoping Auston Matthews Would Bolt — Now What?

For a few months this spring, three NHL franchises were watching Toronto’s chaos very carefully — and quietly hoping it would spill over into something bigger. Not everything is sorted out, but the panic over Auston Matthews and his future seems to have subsided.

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Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic writes, “All signs point to Auston Matthews staying put and playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs next season.” He adds, “Matthews’ agent, Judd Moldaver, hasn’t formally indicated that to the Leafs, but that’s where it’s very much trending from what I understand. When the season ended, there was no GM in Toronto. There were so many unknowns, and it was natural for Matthews to have questions. There still are unknowns as far as what the roster will look like next season, but the conversations between Moldaver and new Leafs GM John Chayka have been cordial, and there’s some level of comfort there about how things are shaping up.”

LeBrun explains that something dramatic would have to happen in the coming weeks, for Matthews not to return next season.

That’s unfortunate news for the Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, and Utah Mammoth, all of whom had reasons to believe that Matthews might actually become available this summer.

So where does that leave them?

How It Got to This Point

Toronto’s 2025-26 season was a mess. The Leafs missed the playoffs, finished near the bottom of the Atlantic Division, and responded by blowing up the front office — firing GM Brad Treliving, dismissing head coach Craig Berube, and replacing them with the somewhat polarizing choice of John Chayka and Mats Sundin.

There were reports from a few sources, including Howard Berger, who suggested Matthews wouldn’t be back. Some believed he might prefer to get out of the Toronto spotlight, jump ship, and head to a western destination like Anaheim, Los Angeles, or Utah. Given that Matthews grew up in the southwestern United States, the geography made a certain kind of sense.

All three would have been glad to take him.

Why Each Team Was Watching

Los Angeles Kings

The Matthews link had a lot to do with Anze Kopitar retiring after 20 seasons; the Kings enter the offseason with a gaping hole down the middle. They’re looking to add, GM Ken Holland is willing to swing big, and Matthews would have been the answer to every question they’re currently asking. The problem is the Kings simply don’t have the trade capital to win a bidding war — unless Matthews himself had declared LA as his only destination, Holland’s hands were likely tied.

Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks came out of nowhere in 2025-26 and have quietly built one of the more exciting young cores in the league. Cutter Gauthier, Leo Carlsson, and Mason McTavish form a nucleus that would have been absolutely terrifying with Matthews at the top. One proposed package floating around had Anaheim sending McTavish, defenseman Pavel Mintyukov, and a second-round pick to Toronto with the Leafs retaining 50 percent of Matthews’ cap hit.

Utah Mammoth

The newest NHL franchise in Salt Lake City has been trying to establish an identity, and there’s no faster shortcut than landing a superstar. Matthews, who grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, would have been a cultural and marketing slam dunk for a team still looking to make a name for itself.

The proposed package involved Tij Iginla, JJ Peterka, and a second-round pick.

Things Change in Toronto

The Maple Leafs won the 2026 Draft Lottery and are expected to select consensus top prospect Gavin McKenna first overall. That immediately changed things in Toronto, where the silver lining of a bad season became a positive. There was suddenly more excitement in Toronto than melancholy, and Chayka’s public message after visiting Matthews was more good news. “What I saw was a happy captain. Someone who’s got a lot of pride in being the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, someone who wants to win in Toronto.”

This is where it gets interesting for all three franchises that were hoping for a different outcome.

The Kings still need a center. The Ducks and Mammoth still want to accelerate their timelines. And with the free agent pool this summer described as weak, the trade market is the only real route to a top-end center. That conversation now shifts toward Dylan Larkin, who has requested a trade from Detroit and whose list of preferred destinations is reportedly expanding. It shifts toward Vincent Trocheck in New York and Robert Thomas in St. Louis.

None of those players is Auston Matthews, but each has strong qualities that make them attractive options.

Next: Canadiens Off-Season Blueprint: Spend Smart, Don’t Move Core