Auston Matthews is headed for free agency in 2028, and the Los Angeles Kings are already lining up a plan around that possibility.
The Kings are expected to chase Connor McDavid first when he reaches free agency in 2028. If that move doesn’t land, they’re also expected to turn their attention to Matthews. According to the reporting, they’re already doing their homework.
That pursuit is tied to the kind of money that could reshape the market. McDavid is expected to command a huge annual salary, potentially north of $20 million, especially with the Anaheim Ducks making Leo Carlsson the most expensive player in the NHL. Los Angeles is projected to have $78 million to work with, which gives them enough room to make a serious run.
For Toronto, the timing is what makes this so uneasy. The Maple Leafs have built their current plan around the same two-year window, and Matthews is at the center of it. If the team doesn’t deliver, he could test the open market when his deal expires in 2028.
That possibility comes with plenty of uncertainty. Matthews has already shown some hesitation about staying, even with the organization making major changes around him.
The hope is that those moves give him a real chance to win. He now has Gavin McKenna as his playmaker, several new additions who will do whatever they can to protect him, and a new goaltender who is one of the greatest of the modern era.
Still, nothing is guaranteed. Toronto may have a fighting chance, but that does not automatically mean a playoff spot or a Stanley Cup push. Matthews will also have to pull his weight and get back to his dominant form.
The long-range roster picture only adds to the tension. By 2028, Toronto is expected to have only six forwards signed beyond that point, with one year left on John Tavares before he potentially retires. If Matthews leaves and the Leafs miss out on a player like McDavid or even Zach Werenski, the outlook gets a lot harder.
There’s some youth coming, but not enough to solve everything on its own. Gavin McKenna would be 20, and the article notes he is not ready to be thrown into the captain role yet. That leaves the future leaning toward the Knies and Nylander show, while the blue line would be aging as well, with only three signed defensemen in Jake McCabe, Chris Tanev, and Darren Raddysh, with Morgan Rielly as a possible fourth if he stays.
For Toronto, 2028 could go one of two ways: the year the Maple Leafs become the strongest team they’ve ever been, or the year it all comes undone.
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After a busy stretch of roster tinkering, the Maple Leafs are still shopping for another top-six forward, with the front office weighing both trade possibilities and free-agent avenues. The search is not limited to one position, either, since Toronto is open to adding a center or a winger as it continues to reshape the group around its established core.
The challenge, as always, is making the math work. Toronto is operating under familiar cap pressure, which means any meaningful addition may depend on moving someone out first, and the club has to be compliant by the start of the season. For now, the Leafs are doing the usual summer balancing act: keeping options open, monitoring veteran names, and trying to find a fit without creating a new roster problem in the process. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Could Turn Anaheims Cap Squeeze Into A Risky Scoring Upgrade
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For the Maple Leafs, the appeal is obvious enough: a chance to add scoring help without waiting for the market to sort itself out. The complication is just as obvious, because Toronto would have to create room before taking on Vatranos deal, and that is never a small task for a club already managing a tight cap picture. Even with Anaheim willing to make the move easier, the Leafs would still need to decide how far they want to go to chase a risky offensive upgrade, especially with bigger roster questions still unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Ducks Just Faced Their Biggest Young Core Decision Yet
A day of front-office churn added another layer to the Maple Leafs offseason reset, with Hayley Wickenheiser departing after eight years in a variety of roles around the organization. Her exit came as Toronto continued to reshape its hockey operations group, a process that has already included other notable departures and reflects how much change has been flowing through the club behind the scenes.
The Leafs also moved on from director of amateur scouting Mark Leach and senior advisor of player personnel Dave Morrison, underscoring that this is more than a single personnel move. For a team trying to keep its footing while reworking the people in charge of finding and developing talent, the bigger question now is how much more of the old structure is left before the next phase of the overhaul takes hold. [Read more 🡒]