Auston Matthews wants to stay with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but David Pagnotta says winning is the key to his future.
Pagnotta laid it out on Tuesday's Leafs Morning Take: “The key is winning; he wants to stay in Toronto.”
He added that “if this team is gonna keep winning, or is on the trajectory to winning, then he wants to be part of it.”
It reads like loyalty, but there's a condition baked right in. Leafs fans should hear it as a warning as much as a promise.
Think of a tenant who loves the apartment, as long as the landlord keeps fixing the heat.
So are the Leafs on that trajectory right now?
They've won four straight, capped by Saturday's 7-2 win in Edmonton.
David Pagnotta: Re Auston Matthews future: The key is winning; he wants to stay in Toronto, and if this team is gonna keep winning, or is on the trajectory to winning, then he wants to be part of it - Leafs Morning Take (10/20)
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Auston Matthews' Maple Leafs future hinges on one thing, says NHL insider
The 29-year-old is doing his part. Matthews leads the Leafs with 19 points through 13 games.
Nine of those are goals, including one Saturday in Edmonton.
Over his last 10 games, he's piled up 18 points.
He's also scored 3 power-play goals and 2 game-winners.
His $13,250,000 cap hit ranks eighth in the NHL.
The offense around him is cooking. Toronto's 50 goals rank second in the league, one behind Carolina.
William Nylander is right on his heels, one point back.
Kirill Marchenko has chipped in 4 power-play goals of his own.
Easton Cowan, 21, and Gavin McKenna, 18, have added a younger look up front.
John Chayka took over as GM in May, and Jim Hiller was hired in June. Convincing Matthews the plan works is their first real test.
Sitting at 7-4-2, the Leafs are level with Ottawa and three back of Boston in the Atlantic.
John Tavares is out until at least November 27, so the depth up front gets tested right away.
The road trip continues Monday in Calgary against a Flames team riding three straight wins, with Seattle and Vancouver to follow.
Matthews has set the terms. Whether Chayka can keep meeting them long after one hot October week is the question that won't go away.
Should Leafs fans be worried about Auston Matthews' future in Toronto?
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