The Toronto Maple Leafs are destined for a hectic summer. Now, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman claims that the Leafs winning the draft lottery does not guarantee that Auston Matthews will stay.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to bounce back in the 2026–2027 campaign. Their 2025–2026 season did not go as planned, and they finished 28th in the overall league standings.
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Maple Leafs draft lottery win
The road back to contention started with the controversial hiring of John Chayka as general manager. They also appointed Maple Leafs legend Mats Sundin as a senior advisor. On Tuesday, the Leafs won the draft lottery despite only having an 8.5 percent chance of getting the number one pick. They now have the opportunity to select expected top prospect Gavin McKenna in the 2026 NHL Draft.
The Auston Matthews issue
But the Maple Leafs also have to convince their team captain, Auston Matthews, to stay with the franchise. Matthews is under contract through the 2027–2028 season. If he wants to be traded, he has a full no-move clause, meaning the Leafs can’t control where he goes or guarantee a strong return for their captain. After missing the playoffs, Matthews told reporters that “I can’t predict the future.”
”Does this change anything?”
Does winning the draft lottery make it easier to convince Auston Matthews to stay? Not according to Elliotte Friedman. On his podcast, 32 Thoughts, he said the following regarding the Matthews situation:
“Does this change anything for Matthews? I don’t think it does at this point in time. I believe that Auston Matthews is going to ask the Maple Leafs to sit down with him and say, ‘Okay, not only what is your plan, but how are you actually going to execute the plan?’”
He continued:
“You have to prove to him not only that you say you’re going to be able to do this, but how you’re actually going to be able to go out and do it. If they can do that, I think everything works out. Even if he likes the plan, if he’s not actually convinced they can act on it, that’s where the problem is going to be.”
You can listen to the clip below.
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