Elliotte Friedman reveals whether or not Auston Matthews wants to stay in Toronto

Auston Matthews has had himself a difficult season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, from both an individual and collective point of view.

As it stands, the Maple Leafs are near the bottom of the league's standings, and they are at the bottom of the Atlantic Division.

They remain 10 points out of a playoff spot, and if they do not start winning soon, they will be completely ousted from the playoff conversation.

This season from hell has led to some uncomfortable conversations about the Maple Leafs and what they are going to have to do if this continues. In fact, the word "rebuild" continues to be mentioned.

According to Elliotte Friedman, the conversations around Auston Matthews' commitment to the franchise have been a bit much as of late.

In his view, it is actually quite unlikely that the forward ends up leaving the team. If he were to bet on it, he would say that Matthews stays.

What is interesting about this report is the fact that Friedman is suggesting the Maple Leafs need to have an adult conversation with Matthews.

This should actually scare everyone right now. Matthews may just turn around and demand a trade, especially if the Leafs want a rebuild of some kind.

It is a tough situation for the Maple Leafs, and we cannot imagine that general manager Brad Treliving is excited about what's happening.

The only path forward for the team is to win. If they can start winning and sneak into a Wild Card spot, that changes everything.

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