The Toronto Maple Leafs' new braintrust recently held a virtual meeting with captain Auston Matthews to discuss their vision for the team, and the results appear "positive," Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported on Monday's edition of "32 Thoughts: The Podcast."
Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka and senior executive adviser of hockey operations Mats Sundin were both reportedly on the virtual meeting with Matthews. The sides couldn't meet in person due to scheduling conflicts, Friedman added.
"I checked with as many people as I could, and I was told that, right now, things are in a good place," Friedman said. "There's still more decisions that have to be made here, but for the first lengthy meeting they had, I was told there was nothing that raised any alarms or raised any concerns, and right now things are in a good place between Matthews and the organization."
A report on May 5 indicated that Matthews wanted to see meaningful roster improvements through trades and free agency before committing to another season in Toronto. The Maple Leafs winning the draft lottery later that day reportedly didn't alter Matthews' stance.
"It is our job to sell him on what we're capable of and reaching the ultimate goal, because I know that's what's most important to him," Chayka said during his introductory press conference on May 4. "How do we do that is not a sales job, I'd say. It's more of what's the vision, what's the plan, and the concrete steps that we're going to take to get the team to where he wants it to be."
Matthews has two seasons remaining on his contract with a $13.25-million cap hit. His deal includes a full no-movement clause.
The three-time Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy winner posted career lows in goals (27), assists (26), and points (53) while playing just 60 games during an injury-riddled 2025-26 campaign.
