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One Toronto Maple Leafs columnist gives his thoughts on whether an Auston Matthews trade could actually happen.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are facing a question that seemed near unthinkable at the beginning of this season, that being the potential trading of captain and star forward Auston Matthews.
Matthews has struggled this season for Toronto, with just 14 goals and 23 points in 27 games, disappointing by the standards of Matthews who hasn’t been under a PPG pace since his rookie season.
Not only on offense has Matthews had a downturn, Matthews has also been noted for a decrease in defensive engagement and skating speed, bringing into question if the old Matthews can come back or not.
With uncertainty over the performance of Matthews, the potential of a trade is opening up and being discussed as something of a possibility.
Could Auston Matthews’ time in Toronto really be ending?
Analysis from a former Toronto Maple Leafs reporter thinks the time is coming for Auston Matthews to go.
Former Leafs reporter and current analyst Howard Berger thinks not only that Matthews will leave Toronto, but he expects it to happen soon.
Management will either badger Auston’s agent for a reasonable list of trade destinations, or, more than likely, Matthews will quit and ask out of town.
Now, Berger is not someone who currently works as a reporter, but is a former journalist with seemingly reputable connections, although this claim reads more as speculation than any sourced insight.
But Berger’s comments have opened discussion on the future of Matthews from readers, critiquing the idea of trading Matthews despite a drop in production.
Some Leafs fans, however, conceded that the Auston Matthews they’re seeing isn’t the one that has been a superstar forward.
Why The Leafs Trading Matthews Seems Unlikely
Despite the challenge that the Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves in with Auston Matthews, trading him seems unlikely to be the plan and the answer.
For one, even with a lack of scoring Matthews has still shown that he’s the Leafs top center, and while he isn’t playing like their top forward, the cost of trading him now is likely not as high as his best value can bring.
Trading Matthews now would net a return that would be unlikely to help the Leafs now, and not the most they could get for Matthews at his peak.
As well, Toronto is still just outside the playoff picture, only four points out of the wild card picture and 6-2-2 in their last 10 games.
There’s also the task of what the problem has been alongside Matthews, and that’s the lack of a playmaker who can provide some offense to help Matthews who has taken a step back.
If Toronto was to weather the storm of uncertainty, they’re almost certainly going to do so with Auston Matthews than without, and he’d be the last player they’d want to move on from.
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