Matthews noncommittal on future with Maple Leafs

TORONTO – Auston Matthews appeared with a brace on his surgically repaired left knee and put the onus on himself and his teammates for a surprising lost season.

Speaking at the Toronto Maple Leafs’ end-of-season media availability on Thursday, the captain empathized with fans and expressed his appreciation.

But when asked about speculation surrounding his future with the team, the captain’s tone shifted.

“I can’t predict the future,” said Matthews, who has two seasons left on his four-year, US$53-million deal. “There are steps that are gonna have to take place, gotta hire new leadership and management and stuff like that. So, I don’t really know … I can’t really predict the future.”

The Leafs went from Atlantic Division champions in 2024-25 to last this season, marking the first time in Matthews’ career he has missed the playoffs.

Matthews himself had a down year with 27 goals and 26 assists in 60 games after posting 78 points (33 goals, 45 assists) in 67 games last season, a steep drop from his historic 69-goal campaign two seasons ago.

“Obviously, this was a tough year, it was a frustrating year,” he said. “We didn’t meet the goals or the expectations that we set out at the start, and ultimately, that’s on me.

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“That’s on us as players, we’re the ones that have to go out there and compete and play the game, and we didn’t do that well enough this year.”

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The team fired assistant coach Marc Savard in December in an effort to fix its struggling power play, and general manager Brad Treliving was dismissed in March as the season unravelled.

Toronto didn’t look the same without star winger Mitch Marner, who left for Vegas last summer. The team also dealt with numerous injuries, with leading scorer William Nylander missing 17 games, Matthews 22 and shutdown blueliner Chris Tanev limited to 11.

While head coach Craig Berube made it through the end of the season, MLSE CEO Keith Pelley said his future will depend on the team’s new leadership, but the bench boss remains confident he’ll be back.

“Yes,” Berube answered bluntly when asked if he expects to return, adding he hasn’t been told anything different than the public.

Asked about the primary reason for the team’s downfall, Berube said, “goals against.”

The Maple Leafs ranked 31st in the NHL in goals against per game (3.60) and last in shots against per game (32.4).

In 2024-25, the team allowed 2.79 goals, tied for eighth best in the league, and 29.3 shots per game, ranked 24th.

Matthews’ season-ending knee injury was the capper on Toronto’s miserable season. He tore his medial cruciate ligament after a knee-on-knee hit from Anaheim defenceman Radko Gudas on March 12.

While Matthews writhed in pain, no one came to his defence, an occurrence that caused a stir across the league.

“It was an unfortunate play, and I thought they responded in the third period, but you know, it’s an unfortunate play,” Matthews said.

Confidence in a rebound next season was consistent among the Leafs on Thursday.

“You want to believe that you’re going to push forward and improve and be better. I think that’s a natural thing. And as athletes, I think it’s important to hang on to that belief that you can be better,” defenceman Morgan Rielly said.

“In this league, I don’t think there’s any easy fixes,” Rielly added. “I think the work that this team will have to put in to get back to where we want to be is extensive. And being outshot and playing too much time in the D zone are things that we need to improve on.”

Changes are bound to come in hopes of accelerating the effort to improve and avoiding another disastrous campaign.

Rielly’s name has surfaced in trade rumours, although he would have to waive his no-trade clause with four years left on his deal.

“It’s a challenging thing to answer when those conversations haven’t happened yet,” he said. “But after a year like this, after any year, but especially one that can be very disappointing, change is bound to happen. So I think as an athlete, you have to be prepared for that.”

“I’ve always wanted to stay. I still want to stay,” the longest-tenured Leaf added. “I love playing here. I love being a Maple Leaf, and this organization means a lot to me.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 16, 2026.