The Toronto Maple Leafs have made a bold prediction about the future of their captain, Auston Matthews, ahead of the new NHL season.
During the offseason, there was a lot of speculation about Matthews’ future, given the restructuring the Toronto franchise underwent at both the front-office and roster levels.
One of the additions that attracted the most attention and around which there are the most expectations is the No. 1 pick in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft, Gavin McKenna.
McKenna has technical qualities that have led multiple pundits to predict that he will immediately become a key piece for the Leafs.
In fact, during this same offseason, there has been speculation about whether it would be ideal to line him up directly alongside Matthews on a first line or whether it would be better to put him on a second line with teammates such as John Tavares and William Nylander.
Recently, hockey agent Alexei Dementyev spoke exclusively to Championat and made a bold prediction about Matthews’ future.
Dementyev Predicts Maple Leafs Could Trade Auston Matthews
The pundit believes the Maple Leafs could trade Matthews if McKenna lives up to the expectations surrounding him.
“What do you think about Auston Matthews, who hasn’t directly requested a trade, but there have been rumors that he wants to leave Toronto?” Dementyev was asked.
He said, “I’ll put it this way: if Gavin McKenna starts playing the way they expect him to, Matthews will be the one the team trades next season.”
Dementyev’s argument is that, logically, Matthews is going to have suitors of the highest level who are competing for the Stanley Cup, and the player himself would have no problem signing for one of these franchises, which could be an opportunity for Toronto rather than a loss, to turn the player into an asset that gives value to the franchise over the next two years.
“Based on logic, his signed contract, and his stated desires, if I were a general manager, I’d imagine he’d be in demand by teams that are nominal Stanley Cup contenders. He’d be happy to go there. That way, he could be converted into a major asset for the organization within two years,” Dementyev said.
The pundit is referring to the possibility of trading Matthews in exchange for several high first-round draft picks, elite prospects, or young players; those young players would logically need time to develop and show their value to the franchise, which is why the two-year statement makes sense.
Maple Leafs Handed Surprising Auston Matthews Trade Prediction