Disaster in sight for Toronto? New information is surfacing and it's really not looking good for the Leafs

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Elias Adaime
May 24, 2023 (2:34 PM)

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Summer 2023 is shaping up to be particularly significant for the Toronto Maple Leafs, as several major decisions will have to be made in preparation for the next season.

Who will become the new General Manager of the team? Will Sheldon Keefe remain in his position as head coach? Will they decide to retain the same unsuccessful core of four players from recent years?

Among these questions, one of them will specifically target the franchise's player, Auston Matthews, who will be in his last contract year in 2023-2024 and will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season.

As the hockey world wonders what will happen with one of the league's top players, a major piece of information has just been revealed by the reputable Elliotte Friedman, which will leave a bitter taste in the mouths of Leafs fans.

According to his sources, it is unlikely that Matthews will unofficially sign an agreement before July 1, which could change a lot of things. I say 'unofficially' because technically, the two parties cannot formalize a new contract until that same date. However, it is customary for such a significant negotiation to have an informal agreement in place before the start of July.

In addition, Friedman also revealed that an anonymous player from Toronto told him that no one within the team knows what will happen with number 34. Let's just say it's a very bad sign not to know internally the intentions of a player as important to the franchise as Matthews.

The Leafs will therefore have a very big decision to make regarding their star forward.

Will they retain his services for the next season, at the risk of losing him in the summer of 2024? Will they decide to trade him to capitalize on his services during the off-season?

One thing is certain, things are likely to get stirred up in Toronto during the summer period.