With the Minnesota Wild facing an uphill battle to keep their season alive, it would be hard to blame fans if their mind wandered to what they could do this offseason. The Wild have taken strides toward becoming a Stanley Cup contender but they need another move to get over the hump with some speculating it could be a trade for Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews.
Matthews’s future is up in the air as Toronto turns over a new leaf under recently hired general manager John Chayka and it may have been thrown more in flux when the Maple Leafs fired head coach Craig Berube on Wednesday morning.
With Matthews owning a full no movement clause on his contract, getting Matthews to Minnesota isn’t as simple as a phone call over some meatballs. And Tuesday’s news could make the Wild’s potential pursuit of Matthews more difficult even if the Leafs still have some convincing to do over the summer to keep their star in place.
Craig Berube’s firing makes Auston Matthews’s path to Wild even more difficult
The Matthews saga is playing out in Toronto as the Maple Leafs star is waiting to see what direction the team is heading. The Leafs fired previous general manager Brad Treliving after three seasons in the role on March 30 and hired Chayka in his place. While change was needed, Matthews is reportedly unsure on whether he wants to return to Toronto as he enters the third year of a four-year, $53 million contract and The Athletic’s Chris Johnston suggested that this summer could play a big factor in his decision.
“My understanding of where things exist right now with Auston Matthews according to my sources is that he’s still not yet sure what the future holds for him and if he’s going to be in a position to return next season,” Johnston said in a May 5 interview with TSN radio in Toronto. “And I think he feels as though that he needs to see some meaningful improvements to the roster before he’s comfortable making that call.”
Firing Berube was a good first step in the process as Matthews clashed frequently with his coach throughout the 2025-26 season. After leading the NHL with 69 goals and recording a career-high 107 points during the 2023-24 season, Matthews’s production dropped to 33 goals and 78 points in Berube’s first year with the Leafs (2024-25) and to 27 goals and 53 points during last year’s campaign.
Still, the Leafs have some obstacles to overcome. Chayka was a controversial hire after his previous stint as general manager of the Arizona Coyotes was filled with illegal scouting activities, unprofessionalism and a one-year suspension handed down by commissioner Gary Bettman for the 2021 season. The roster also needs some work after finishing 28th in the NHL and last in the Atlantic Division with 78 points last season.
The Leafs had some luck by winning the NHL Draft Lottery and the right to select Penn State star Gavin McKenna with the No. 1 overall pick. But Chayka has his work cut out for him as he looks to improve the roster to Matthews’s preference.
If he can’t do it, this is where a team like the Wild could step in. But it won’t be easy for Bill Guerin to make a deal. Minnesota’s prospect pool, which has just two players listed in the top 100 drafted prospect rankings by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic, may not have the star power to get a deal done, leaving center Danila Yurov or goalie Jesper Wallstedt as necessary pieces to make a trade happen.
The Wild also will be competing against teams like the Utah Mammoth, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks, who have the prospects and draft capital to put together a more attractive offer if Matthews wants out of Toronto.
The Athletic’s Michael Russo noted Matthews’s no movement clause could play into the Wild’s favor if he deems Minnesota as an ideal destination. But it’s hard to rely on that if the Leafs keep making positive steps toward keeping him around or if a Western Conference rival makes a more significant offer. As it stands, Matthews joining Quinn Hughes, Matt Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov may be just a pipe dream and Tuesday’s news makes a trade feel more like fantasy than reality.
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