For the first time in his career, Auston Matthews is not considered untouchable.
Let me be very clear…
The Toronto Maple Leafs are not shopping him.
This is not a fire sale.
This is not a rebuild announcement.
But something has changed.
According to a source, teams have begun preparing legitimate offers — and there has already been some back-and-forth discussion behind the scenes. That alone tells you what you need to know. When you go from “absolutely off limits” to “we’ll listen,” that’s a seismic shift in the NHL ecosystem. Matthews has always been the pillar. The franchise. The line in the sand. The name you hang up on when another GM even mentions it.
Now? The phone isn’t being slammed down. And that matters.
This doesn’t mean he’s getting traded. In fact, the odds still lean heavily toward him staying in Toronto...But teams are clearly doing their homework.
And here’s the key: when multiple teams believe a door is even slightly open, they start bidding against themselves. That’s how blockbusters are born. Toronto isn’t shopping him. But they’re not shutting it down either. If this continues to develop, it would be one of the biggest deadline stories in modern NHL history. We are talking about a franchise center, in his prime, under control — not a rental, not a distressed asset.
The Leafs are at a crossroads. And when teams sense hesitation from a team at a crossroads, they pounce. Right now this sits in the “monitor closely” category. But this is the first time the words “Auston Matthews” and “deadline offers” have belonged in the same sentenc
And around the NHL… that’s enough to get executives moving.
Rumor chart update coming this afternoon