Insider Thinks Minnesota Hinting a Run at Maple Leafs’ Superstar

He can’t say anything official without risking tampering, but insiders like Elliotte Friedman believe that Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin knows exactly what he’s doing when he talks about Auston Matthews. Speaking highly of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ superstar, Friedman believes Guerin is doing everything but say, ‘Yes, we want him, and we’ll be going after him.’

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This all comes after Guerin mentioned during an interview that he thinks the world of Matthews. Speaking to Toronto radio’s First Up, he said, “I’ve gotten to know Auston over the last couple of years… and I think the world of him.” He talked about how much pressure Matthews faces in Toronto, saying, “I think he’s one of the best two-way guys in the game… I think that his defensive game, his two-way game, is completely underrated… He’s a hell of a player. I know he deals with a lot there in Toronto, but I think the world of him.”

How Close is Guerin To Crossing That Tampering Line?

There are specific rules about how opposing GMs talk about players on other teams. It’s a slippery slope, even if the league doesn’t often chase many of the comments that sound a bit too flattering. That said, Friedman said he’s hearing other executives take issue with Guerin’s comments. At the very least, they believe he’s signaling a move.

“I was talking to… an executive in the league,” Friedman stated on his 32 Thoughts podcast. “He’s listening to Bill Guerin do interviews about how great Auston Matthews is, and he’s like, ‘Minnesota. Why don’t you just put up a neon sign outside your building that says, come here, Auston? Quinn [Hughes] is waiting for you…Every time Guerin does an interview in Toronto, it’s like, the pitch is on.’”

The idea of Hughes and Matthews on the same team as Kirill Kaprizov is enticing. Matthews has to be frustrated in Toronto after the way this season has gone, and likely even more so following the knee-on-knee hit he took with no response from his teammates. And, for those who recall the post-Olympic presser, Hughes was very complimentary of Matthews, saying he’s a winner.

All bets are off this offseason as the Maple Leafs potentially make changes. The big shakeup would be a Matthews trade. He has a full no-move clause in his current $13.25 million AAV contract, so if he really wanted to, he could likely engineer his way to Minnesota. The trick for Guerin would be fitting everyone in under the salary cap. Matthews isn’t cheap, and Hughes’ deal is up at the end of the 2026-27 season. What he’ll make per season may set a new record for salaries among NHL defensemen.

Next: The Auston Matthews Fallout: Expect Changes in Toronto