Insider reveals what the Leafs' current struggles could mean for Auston Matthews come contract negotiation time

If the Leafs are doing well, reporters say he's going to re-sign. If the Leafs are not playing well, in large, they believe it will be tough to keep him around. Around and around the media will go until July 1st, when Matthews is eligible to begin negotiating his next deal. Elliotte Friedman was on "The Jeff Marek Show" this week and says that, even with the team's recent struggles, he believes Matthews will re-sign.

Friedman said, "I think he's re-signing in Toronto, I don't necessarily think it will be a long-term extension but I think he will extend, but my caveat always was, the big concern is what if this thing goes off the rails?"

Friedman makes two interesting points; One - Matthews could opt for another 4/5-year deal to allow him to cash in one more time at the age of 30. The second point is that if the Leafs absolutely flounder this season or next, is "the process" still going to be enough to convince him to sign an extension?

Regardless, we won't have any definitive answers until July 1, 2023 at the earliest anyways. So for now, let's hope Matthews catches fire and gives us some highlight reel goals and some Leafs wins to talk about instead.