Hockey Insider Sees Auston Matthews 'A Maple Leaf For Life'

Great news Leafs Nation, hockey insider Frank Seravalli thinks Auston Matthews is going to be a Toronto Maple Leaf for life. The bad news is Seravalli has no control in the matter and it's essentially going to come down to wins and losses that keeps Matthews in blue and white.

There's been a ton of buzz lately around Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk and many have looked ahead to the 2024 free agent class when Matthews could head a very talented bunch. Once July hits in 2023, the Leafs will be able to ink their superstar and reigning Hart Trophy winner to an eight-year extension, however at this point it's hard to say just how things will shape out in the next 24 months.

Some in the industry think Matthews won't re-sign in Toronto if they fail to have any Stanley Cup Playoff success and that makes a ton of sense. Losing is tough, losing all the time in Toronto is even worse.

Let's say the Leafs have minimal success over the next two seasons, and don't make serious noise in the postseason, some very very early teams to keep an eye on are the Los Angeles Kings, Arizona Coyotes and New York Rangers. Matthews has ties to LA and Zona and the bright lights and big city of New York could certainly be appealing. Way too early to tell of course, but Leafs Nation are taking the offseason win when Seravalli comes out and says this:

"I believe Auston Matthews is going to be a Toronto Maple Leaf for life. I think he's absolutely loved his time in Toronto."

In case you missed it, here are @frank_seravalli's thoughts on Auston Matthews' future from today's show. pic.twitter.com/yHKL2n2XYo
— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) July 20, 2022