An Auston Matthews trade proposal so bad that it might actually make you sick

There are just 2 teams left active in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, as the Vegas Golden Knights and the Florida Panthers will play for the greatest prize in hockey in the Stanley Cup Finals, which are set to kick off on June 3rd.

It just feels like yet another blown opportunity by the Leafs, with the core failing to produce when it mattered, dropping 4 of 5 games to the Panthers in round 2. Because of their latest playoff failure, many fans and pundits are calling for change in Toronto, deeming it time to split up the "Core 4".

CapFriendly has a cool little interactive tool on their website called "Armchair-GM", which allows patrons to adjust rosters, make trades and complete UFA/RFA signings. If you haven't checked it out before, I'd recommend giving it a try, as it can be pretty fun to go over all of the possibilities. Why is this pertinent? Well, I'll tell you why.

Most people who feel as though the core needs to be shaken up in Toronto believe that the player who needs to go is either William Nylander or Mitch Marner. This, of course, is due to the fact that John Tavares' contract is unmovable unless he waives his NMC and there aren't a lot of people who are in any rush to trade superstar sniper and generational goal scorer Auston Matthews.


Well, one fan, assuming Auston Matthews plans to leave as a free agent next summer, proposed a trade between the Maple Leafs and Los Angeles Kings centered around Matthews. I hope you're not squeamish, because this one is an absolute train wreck.


Not only does this deal force the Leafs to take on the Cal Petersen deal ($5M per season through 2024-25), but it doesn't even contain a 2023 1st round pick, as the Kings had traded their 2023 1st rounder at the deadline.

To this fan's credit, he did include Newmarket, Ontario native and 2020 2nd overall pick Quinton Byfield, who would be an absolute necessity in any deal involving Matthews, but the secondary and peripheral pieces were not close to what the Leafs would require in order to pull the trigger on a deal. The Leafs CERTAINLY wouldn't need to eat a bad contract in the deal.

If the Leafs did decide to move Matthews and if the Kings were the team with whom they decided to deal, knowing that they wouldn't be getting a 2023 1st rounder, my thoughts are that the initial ask from the Leafs would be Quinton Byfield, Arthur Kaliyev, Brandt Clarke and at least 1 first round pick, plus perhaps a roster player. We know that the Kings are looking to move Viktor Arvidsson so perhaps that would be enough to push a deal over the line - especially if there's an extension involved. This would be the equivalent of 3 first rounders, a roster player and a solid prospect.

The one proposed here by this misguided Leafs fan isn't even close, in my humble opinion.