Rumor: Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner will not re-sign with the Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs need to lock up their young stars Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner to long-term contracts this year. But this may not happen, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

I think the thing that’s interesting is I’m not convinced that Matthews and Marner will sign this year. Now, I’m not saying it won’t happen. But I really believe it was a slam dunk that Edmonton was going to do whatever it could to get McDavid done last year and they did. I think Toronto will ask both of those players, but I’m not convinced that those players are going to do it yet.

It's unclear whether the delay in re-signing stems from the issues between coach Mike Babcock and Auston Matthews or the change in management. One thing is for certain, if Matthews and Marner are not re-signed by the end of next season when their contracts expire, it would be a huge disaster for the Maple Leafs.