Insider confirms disturbing rumor involving Leafs captain Auston Matthews

Throughout his tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Auston Matthews has frequently been the subject of some pretty major rumors. When you're one of the best scorers in the world, all while playing for a team like the Leafs, this kind of speculation is par for the course.

However, over the past year and a half, the Matthews rumors have been kicked into high gear, especially when you consider the captain's fall-off.

He hasn't been the scorer he used to be, and there are all sorts of concerns about Matthews' commitment to the Leafs franchise amid these struggles.

The Leafs have been told on more than one occasion to blow it up and start from scratch, but that does not appear to be in the cards for general manager Brad Treliving.

Having said that, a new report from insider Jason Gregor suggests some real issues between the Toronto Maple Leafs and their superstar captain.

Simply put, Gregor has been told that Matthews isn't exactly loving the Toronto market right now. It would not be surprising to see him leave in a few years from now.

Matthews' contract is set to expire in the Summer of 2028. Perhaps this is when Matthews finally decides to go his own way and play closer to home.

The forward has always been linked to franchises like the Los Angeles Kings and Arizona Coyotes (now the Utah Mammoth). Whether or not a trade could happen before 2028 still remains to be seen.

With that in mind, Matthews' unhappiness should be very concerning to Maple Leafs fans right now. This is not the kind of thing you want to have festering. It's not the right time for that, especially with this team looking to make a deep run.