Former Maple Leafs player puts Toronto on high alert over Auston Matthews’ future with trade deadline looming

The Toronto Maple Leafs have yet to win a game since the NHL resumed its action following the 2026 Winter Olympics. Thus, Auston Matthews—whose last win was in the gold medal game against Canada—and the rest of the team are essentially waving their playoff hopes goodbye.

However, the scenes could turn even more dramatic in Toronto. The Maple Leafs have long been criticized for coming up short in the postseason, yet missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs entirely is on a whole other level. Needless to say, the first season without Mitch Marner has been a nightmare for the Buds—and the worst may be yet to come.

According to former Maple Leafs center and analyst Jeff O’Neill, there is a potential scenario in which Auston Matthews requests a trade out of Toronto. It may be a long shot, but it feels closer with each new loss in the 2025-26 NHL season.

Auston Matthews could request a trade

“It would not shock me if at the end of this season, Brady Tkachuk and Auston Matthews say that’s probably enough for me,” O’Neill said on TSN’s OverDrive. “I’m not kidding you. It would not shock me if both of them said ‘thanks, but no thanks’. Maybe it’s time to move on.”

If that’s the case, it presents a dilemma for the Maple Leafs. From an entirely business perspective, it might be better to shop Matthews before the trade deadline—when buyers are far likelier to overspend—than wait for the inevitable in the offseason. However, it’s all “ifs” at this point. Toronto is relatively secure since Matthews is under contract through the 2027-28 campaign.

Context behind it

O’Neill referenced the tension that boiled over during the Winter Olympics. As captains of Canadian NHL franchises who are also household names on Team USA, Tkachuk and Matthews often found themselves between a rock and a hard place.

At the moment, neither has admitted to a rift with their respective clubs; however, as both Ottawa and Toronto seem on track to miss the playoffs, the pressure could become too much to bear.

Serving as a captain is a massive accomplishment, but it carries immense responsibility. In the Great White North, the expectations are only magnified. Both Matthews and Tkachuk are expected to be the captains who finally lead their teams to Canada’s first Stanley Cup since 1993. In Ontario, the drama and outside noise never truly fades—and if their teams aren’t even qualifying for the postseason, the “bad” may start to outweigh the “good” for both superstars.