Could Utah Provide Toronto the Best Return Package for Auston Matthews?

If Auston Matthews does officially become available on the trade market at some point this offseason, just about every team in the NHL will call and do their due diligence on whether they could possibly land the two-time 60-goal scorer.

---

That said, the number of true suitors will be smaller than many think, based on a variety of factors including where Matthews wants to go and who could provide the Toronto Maple Leafs with a strong enough return package.

Teams out West, like Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose, and even Vegas are often brought up first in these conversations. However, insider Jeff Marek believes Utah would be the best partner Toronto could find in a potential Matthews deal.

Marek said:

“If John Chayka and Mats Sundin decide, ‘OK, look, we’ve got Gavin McKenna,’ and we look to take Auston Matthews to market or see what’s out there, I mean personally I would look at Utah and players like T.J. Iginla and Caleb Desnoyers and Dmitri Simashev—the big, you know, 7-foot-tall defenseman. Good young players that could really turbocharge your rebuild, and you can spin a rebuild around a lot faster when you have players like that starting in the NHL,”

The 28-year-old Matthews, of course, has two years remaining on the four-year, $53 million extension he signed with the Maple Leafs in 2023. He’s coming off a career-low 53-point (27 goals, 26 assists) 2025-26 campaign.

Tij Iginla (sixth overall, 2024), Caleb Desnoyers (fourth overall, 2025), and Dmitri Simashev (sixth overall, 2023) were all top-10 picks over the last three drafts and would certainly be intriguing targets for Toronto should a Matthews trade be on the table.

The Mammoth also have other interesting prospects in Cole Beaudoin, Daniil But, and Maveric Lamoureux, as well as draft capital to put together a very strong package.

It may not be Matthews returning home to play for the Arizona Coyotes, but Utah isn’t that far away, and since moving to Salt Lake City, the franchise has only been on an upward trajectory.

Next: Analyst Pumps the Brakes on Marner’s Playoff Surge Post-Maple Leafs