Shocking Offseason Destination Named for Toronto Maple Leafs Captain Auston Matthews

The Toronto Maple Leafs are in turmoil, as the team's culture has been on display, and it's horrid. A captain unprotected, a sophomore NHL player (Matthew Knies) chirping at a former fourth-line center, and general manager Brad Treliving getting fired.

The situation continues to degrade, as speculation rises about where captain Auston Matthews, a Gold Medal winner with Team USA in Milan-Cortina, could land next in the NHL.

Matthews' entire career has been spent with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but nothing is certain, and for the Maple Leafs top-center, he could dictate where he lands next, seeing as he has a no-movement clause attached to his massive $13.25 million average annual value contract.

NHL Insider, Darren Dreger, believes that Matthews could head to the West Coast and join up with the expansion-borne Utah Mammoth, returning to the desert his old digs.

Dreger also included the San Jose Sharks in the mix, but he didn't name them as frontrunners for the former Rocket Richard Trophy winner.

Sportsnet’s Darren Dreger believes the Utah Mammoth will be a big player with Matthews moving forward, the insider said on Barn Burner. Dreger also said the San Jose Sharks would make some sense, but he wouldn’t call the organization a frontrunner to acquire Matthews in the future.

Dreger's speculation could be viewed as nothing more than just that, as at the moment the Mammoth only have $5.42 million in cap space available. This suggests that in order to acquire someone like Matthews, they'd have to subtract substantial cap space to make the Maple Leafs veteran "a fit".

The Cost To Acquire Auston Matthews

Trade rumors are always fun, as we ponder the veracity of the claims, and sometimes see them come into fruition in March and July.

However, the cost to acquire Matthews would be substantial, as he has a say in where he goes, and while the desert may be in his future, for now, he's still suiting up for the Maple Leafs.

The Bleacher Report has an intriguing trade idea, but will the Mammoth will it into existence?