Hall of Famer Chris Pronger believes captain Auston Matthews is the ‘linchpin’ of the offseason

The Toronto Maple Leafs are about to enter an off-season full of many questions. After Thursday night’s 4-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks, the Maple Leafs were eliminated from the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season, setting the stage for a busy summer to get this club back on track. 

On Friday, National Hockey League Hall of Fame member Chris Pronger joined The Sheet with Jeff Marek to discuss the Maple Leafs off-season, additions the Maple Leafs need to consider and what should unfold with captain Auston Matthews. 

“You look at Toronto, are they retooling? Are they rebuilding? I think somebody has to go in and just have a plan, but they don’t need to tell the fans, they need to tell ownership this is what we’re going to do,” Pronger said.

As many Maple Leafs fans know, the club has been dealing with limited draft capital over the past few seasons as they’ve been buyers with the hope of moving draft picks for players who can push the Maple Leafs over the hump in the post-season. 

With the lack of prospects and draft selections in next year’s draft, the Maple Leafs have been turning towards the NCAA free agent route, adding former Northeastern defenceman Vincent Borgesi and former Union College forward Brandon Buhr. These are moves that Pronger feels a club must make when trying to win in today’s game. 

“Everyone wants the same players, but it’s about finding diamonds in the rough,” Pronger said. “Especially if you’re Toronto and you’re a team that doesn’t have a lot of draft capital, you’re going to have to go find college free agents or other free agents in the marketplace, whether they are unrestricted or restricted. Then you need to make some smart trades to find guys that fit how you want to build your team.”

One of the first steps in the new Maple Leafs general manager’s tenure will be to figure out the direction of the franchise. One of those decisions will be to see where Matthews’ head is at in regards to being a long-term Maple Leaf. The 28-year-old remains under contract for the next two seasons at $13.25 million. 

“You have to find out what Matthews wants to do. He’s the linchpin in all of this. He’s got two years left, and you can’t get stuck in the same position you were with Mitch Marner,” Pronger said. “You have to find out what he wants to do and then go and execute around that.”

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