New NHL Trade Rumors on Auston Matthews' Future with Maple Leafs After 2025-26 Season Struggles

The Toronto Maple Leafs won the draft lottery on Tuesday and will pick first in June, and the player they drafted first 10 years ago could be on his way out.

Per The Athletic's Chris Johnston, star center Auston Matthews "still isn't sure if he'll be back in Toronto in the fall" despite having two years remaining on his contract.

The Maple Leafs are entering their first offseason under general manager John Chayka and senior executive advisor of hockey operations Mats Sundin. Johnston noted that Toronto's ownership group "has no interest in a rebuild" despite the team finishing 32-36-14 this year.

Chayka addressed the team's franchise player during his introductory press conference on Monday, saying that he planned to meet with him soon.

"We're going to get together in the next couple weeks and spend some time," Chayka said. "I think he deserves some answers about where we're at and where we're headed, and (I'll) give him a forum to provide feedback and ask questions and then take it from there."

The 28-year-old Matthews is still very much in his prime, recording 27 goals and 26 assists last season despite missing the last 16 games of the year after a knee-on-knee collision.

If the Maple Leafs can turn things around quickly with a big offseason, a championship with Matthews on the roster could be in play. Toronto finished 52-26-4 just last year, reaching the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Still, it's easy to see why Matthews might be interested in starting over with a team better suited to compete for a title.

If he does want out, Toronto might not have a choice but to rebuild. The good news for the Maple Leafs is that they would get to start their rebuild armed with the No. 1 pick.