NHL Trade Rumors: Maple Leafs' Matthews Linked to Utah Mammoth

The next month for the Toronto Maple Leafs could be their most important in roughly 10 years.

Freshly minted general manager John Chayka is set to meet with Auston Matthews over the course of the next two weeks to try and convince the Leafs' captain to return to Toronto next season. With Craig Berube fired, it certainly opens up a clean slate for the organization, even though Chayka admitted he didn't consult with any of the players on the decision.

If Matthews isn't interested in heading back to Toronto, look for the Utah Mammoth to be a front runner. Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos sees Matthews wanting to play along side one of his close friends.

Nick Kypreos: Re Auston Matthews: Teams are paying close attention; Speculation in my inner circle has the Mammoth watching this situation, as they have a few of Matthews' close friends on their roster, including Clayton Keller - Sportsnet (5/12)

Matthews has two seasons left on his contract and wasn't the same player this season without Mitch Marner. However, there's been multiple reports surfacing on Wednesday that once Chayka dove into the data to see that Matthews was playing the hardest minutes in the league against the toughest competition, he felt Berube wasn't handling his team's superstar properly.

If the Leafs can find a head coach that lets his top players use their creative skills, and Chayka is able to make a couple of trades and big free-agent signings, perhaps Matthews will have interest remaining a Maple Leaf.