NHL Trade Rumors: Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews Linked to 3 Teams

Wednesday, May 20, 2026 , ,

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka was flying down to Arizona to meet with captain Auston Matthews and if the two can't get on the same page on the team's direction this offseason, Matthews is expected to ask for a trade.

The Leafs captain wasn't committal to anything during his end-of-season media availability, with his infamous quote stating 'I can't predict the future', even though he's under contract for two more seasons. It caught a lot of people off guard in Toronto, and now with Chris Johnston's report he's still unsure of his future, trade talks have taken off.

Daily Faceoff's Jeff Marek recently commented on Matthews' future, and sees a few teams out west as realistic destinations:

I think we've always wondered about Los Angeles for Auston Matthews, although I wonder about Dallas with him and I wonder about Utah; if he is gonna go anywhere it's gonna be West - Coming in Hot (5/14)

Matthews resides in Arizona in the offseason so seeing him heading west makes a ton of sense. The Mammoth are an interesting team as they have an aggressive owner who is looking to make a splash this summer, and they also have Clayton Keller, Matthews' best friend on their roster.

There's also the Kings, who are in need of a number-one center now that Anze Kopitar is retired. The Kings would have to give up Quinton Byfield and Brandt Clarke, while the Mammoth would have to part with Tij Iginla in their package, and likely Cole Beaudoin.

As for Dallas, they have Jason Robertson's contract to figure out first, so at this point, they appear to be a long shot, and it's very likely the Mammoth are at the top of Matthews' list, followed by the Kings. For Leafs Nations' sake, let's hope Chayka can convince Matthews to stick around, and add some more talent around him this summer in his first offseason as Leafs' GM.

Photo credit:  John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images 

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