Surprise Team Is ‘Front of the Line’ For Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews if He Wants Out

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The Toronto Maple Leafs’ new braintrust of John Chayka and Mats Sundin have yet to have their mano-a-mano chat with captain Auston Matthews. But when they do, they hope to find out what his intentions are. Does he wish to remain in Toronto for the two years left on his contract? Or does he want out, after the tire fire of a season that the club just had?

If Matthews does want out, he’ll likely indicate his prefered destinations. Or at least he’ll be asked to. But if the Leafs had their druthers in order to get the best return, insider Jeff Marek has proposed on the DFO Rundown that the Utah Mammoth would be ‘front of the line’ to make a deal.

If Toronto has to make a decision on Auston Matthews, we all wonder about Los Angeles. But they don’t have the assets. You know who does? Utah. Utah is uniquely positioned. If that does happen (Matthews asking out), you can probably move Utah to close to, if not THE front of the line.

If you’re gonna be a team (like the Leafs) that wants to rebuild, and rebuild quickly? Utah has some prime candidates and some outstanding young players that they can move.

Marek’s compatriot, host of the DFO Rundown, Jason Gregor, added that the Mammoth would like to add some size with skill to their mix up front. He didn’t mention Matthews, but the 6’3″, 215-pounder is just that. His two-way game would be a tremedous headliner for the top of their burgeoning lineup.

Matthews has plenty of ties to Mammoth personnel

Sportsnet insider Nick Kypreos is another who sees the obvious link between the former Phoenix-based team (Matthews’ home) and the Leafs’ $13.25 million man.

“Speculation in my inner circle has the Utah Mammoth watching this situation, as they have a few of Matthews’ close friends on their roster, including Clayton Keller.”