One of the hottest NHL rumors this week was a potential Toronto Maple Leafs-Minnesota Wild trade involving Auston Matthews. The chatter picked up as a result of comments by Wild GM Bill Guerin hinting at his desire to land the Leafs’ captain.
The chatter has gained plenty of steam, leading insiders to poke around to see if there was any real meat to the talk.
One notable insider, Michael Russo, dug into the talk. In a conversation with Nick Kypreos and Justin Bourne, Russo, a noted Wild insider, poured cold water on the talk of Auston Matthews heading to the Wild.
“If [Auston Matthews] was on the trade block, the Wild would be in on that… but unless Auston said ‘I’m only going to Minnesota,’ I don’t see how the Wild would have the assets.”
The basis for Russo downplaying these NHL rumors lies in the Wild’s Quinn Hughes blockbuster. When Minnesota traded for Hughes earlier this season, the team spent a wealth of capital. That situation essentially gutted the organization of its high-end prospects.
That’s why Russo believes that unless Matthews twists the Maple Leafs’ arm into trading him to Minnesota, the Wild won’t likely have a chance to meet Toronto’s asking price for their captain.
While Russo did not slam the door completely on these NHL rumors, the likelihood of them coming true isn’t all that high.
NHL Rumors Suggest Matthews Could Be on the Move
The prevailing chatter is that Matthews could be on the move. The main reason for that assumption is the direction the Maple Leafs are heading. There’s a real possibility the team could be trending towards a full-on rebuild.
If that’s the case, Matthews may not be keen on sticking out the time it would take to get through the rebuild. Moreover, the organization may be keen on cashing in on Matthews now, and recoup numerous pieces to accelerate said rebuild.
That’s all hearsay at this point. NHL rumors posit that Matthews and the Leafs will touch base on the situation in the offseason. By then, there will be more clarity on the direction the organization is hurtling towards.
Perhaps the situation may change enough to convince Matthews to stay beyond the two years remaining on his current contract.
Get more NHL Rumors on Heavy:
NHL Rumors: Top Free-Agent Target May Not Be Going Anywhere
NHL Trade Rumors: Leafs Knies Deal Hinged on 1 Condition
Rangers Rumors: Drury Overplayed His Hand with Trocheck
Maple Leafs Likely Have Outrageous Price Tag on Matthews
The Maple Leafs likely have an outrageous price tag on Matthews. That’s what NHL rumors seem to suggest at this point. And it’s unlikely the price will come down this offseason, particularly considering that Matthews has two years remaining on his current contract.
As such, Russo believes that the Quinn Hughes trade will be a template for a Matthews deal. If that’s the case, the Leafs could be looking for the equivalent of four first-round draft picks. That’s what the Vancouver Canucks got for Hughes.
At that point, the Wild just wouldn’t have the pieces to get it done. Perhaps a piece like goaltending prospect Jesper Wallstedt might be a good starting point. But it could take a lot more to move the needle for Toronto.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post NHL Rumors: Insider Pours Cold Water on Matthews Chatter appeared first on Heavy Sports.