Ex-NHL GM makes eye-opening suggestions about Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Morgan Rielly’s Maple Leafs future

Former NHL GM and TNT analyst Craig Button has made an eye-opening suggestion regarding Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Morgan Rielly’s future with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Appearing on Frank Seravalli’s Frankly podcast, Button argued that the club faces a critical crossroads with its highest-profile players. He explained that the Leafs’ real opportunity isn’t about squeezing more on-ice performance out of these players, as they are talented and productive in the regular season.

Button believes the opportunity, instead, lies in leveragingtheir trade value to reshape the franchise for the future.

“I’m talking about Matthews, Nylander, and Rielly. It’s about what those guys can do for you moving forward. I’m talking about trading them. I don’t think there’s any other path. I think that the Toronto Maple Leafs had an unbelievable opportunity, they built up their team, they had some really good players, they had some success in the regular season, zero success in the playoffs,” Button said.

He added:

“That’s getting further and further in the rearview mirror. If they want to continue to kid themselves, then they’ll just continue along this path. I think they have to have th hard discussions, its not easy those guys have NMCs. You’ve gotta sit down and say, “Are you open to it?”, because this is our reality.”

Button called out for a potential reset or major retool rather than small tweaks. He did not dismiss the players’ individual skills but argued that the combination hasn’t translated to playoff success, and the best path moving forward might involve cashing in on their high value now to build something more balanced and sustainable.

Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews reflects on disappointing loss to Maple Leafs

On Sunday, the Maple Leafs suffered a disappointing 4-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche at Scotiabank Arena.

Speaking to the media after the game, Auston Matthews said:

“Honestly, I thought we came out better than we had – the last couple games,” Matthews said via NHL. “I think mental mistakes and just times where we just shoot ourselves in the foot. And then, you’re down two to the best team in the league, and you end up having to chase the game for the rest of the night.”

Matthews has accumulated 42 points through 25 goals and 17 assists in 46 games. Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs will be up against the Buffalo Sabres at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. ET.