‘I can’t predict the future’: But Matthews still believes he can win with Leafs

The Maple Leafs held their end-of-season media availability at the Ford Performance Centre on Thursday.

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In his first media session since suffering a season-ending injury on March 12, Auston Matthews was asked about his future in Toronto.

“I can’t predict the future,” the Leafs captain said. “Obviously there’s steps that kind of have to take place. They’re going to hire new leadership and management and stuff like that, so I don’t really know.”

MLSE parted ways with general manager Brad Treliving on March 29 as the Leafs stumbled down the stretch of a disastrous season that saw them finish 28th overall. A search is currently underway for a new head of hockey operations.

MLSE president and CEO Keith Pelley believes the team can quickly get back into contention because they have the foundational pieces in place, including Matthews.

Does a retool sound good to Matthews?

“I don’t know,” the 28-year-old said. “Like, I don’t know what that means. You have to have a more clear understanding [of] what that means, retool, rebuild, whatever that is. That’s something that’s going to be up to the new management that we end up hiring and going from there.”

Matthews did confirm he still believes he can win in Toronto and pointed out that the Boston Bruins rebounded from a 28th place finish to make the playoffs this season.

“I believe in the guys in this room and the people that we have here,” the three time Rocket Richard Trophy winner said. “We’re all hopeful that this is a one-off.”

Matthews plans on having “organic conversations” with the new front office once it’s in place.

In the meantime, the Arizona native was asked if he’d like to reject any suggestion that he won’t play out the final two years of his current contract with the Leafs.

“All that stuff, I mean, there’s always noise and there’s always chatter,” he said. “Personally, I really don’t pay attention to all that. I just focus on myself, focus on this team, and try to be part of the solution.”

In a statement before taking questions, Matthews did stress how much playing in Toronto means to him.

“I love being the captain of this team,” he said. “I think it is an incredible honour to wake up every day and wear this jersey. That is not lost on me even despite the circumstances and the way this season went.”

Behind the scenes, there is no panic about the future of the franchise cornerstone.

“My understanding is that privately some of the things that were discussed with Matthews were encouraging for the Leafs,” said TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston. “Certainly no one is leaving here today thinking he’s gone, but there’s going to be a lot more conversation and a lot more for him to evaluate as time goes on.”

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Matthews sustained a Grade 3 MCL tear in his left knee courtesy a hit by Anaheim Ducks defenceman Radko Gudas on March 19. None of the Leafs players on the ice confronted Gudas in the immediate aftermath of the play.

“It was an unfortunate play,” Matthews said. “I thought they responded in the third period, but it’s an unfortunate play.”

Toronto rallied to beat Anaheim during a penalty-filled final period. The Leafs then made standing up for each other a top priority down the stretch.

“You look at the response we had late in the season after the Auston injury and that’s something that next year, starting in game one, that’s the way we have to play,” said goalie Anthony Stolarz. “We have to play like bastards. We have to play hard and we have to play heavy.”

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Matthews required surgery to repair his knee. The rehab is going “really good” and Matthews expects to be ready for next season.

“I’ll have a pretty normal summer for the most part,” he said. “I’m about a month down now so a couple more months before I can start to turn it up a little bit.”

Matthews suggested the recovery is even a little bit ahead of schedule.

“I just got off crutches,” he noted. “I didn’t think I’d be standing here today so it’s going well so far.”

Gudas was only suspended five games, which led Matthews’ agent Judd Moldaver to blast the NHL’s department of player safety.

“I think you probably know how I feel about the hit,” Matthews said with a grin on Thursday.

Matthews finished the season with 27 goals and 53 points in 60 games. His goals-per game (0.45) was well below his career average (0.62).

The Leafs dropped eight straight games out of the Olympic break, which sealed their fate and Matthews did not score in any of those games.

“Coming back from the Olympics it was tough,” said Matthews, who captained the United States to a gold medal in Milan and visited President Donald Trump at the White House before rejoining the Leafs. “Riding a very big emotional high and then just trying to get back into it. From continuing to play, not really getting a break, travel and all that stuff, I found it kind of hard to get my game going back after the Olympics for a little bit.”

Matthews snapped the goalless drought only minutes before the Gudas hit ended his season.

This is the first time in his career that Matthews will miss the Stanley Cup playoffs.

“This was a tough year and a frustrating year,” he said as part of his opening statement. “We didn’t meet the goals or the expectations that we set out at the start and ultimately that is on me. That’s on us as players. We’re the ones who have to go out there, compete, and play the game. We didn’t do that well enough, consistently enough this year to put ourselves in a better spot. We love our fans. We appreciate our fans. I think we understand their frustration.”

Why did the Leafs crash down the standings after finishing first in the Atlantic Division a year ago?

“That’s a more complicated question than I can really answer,” Matthews said. “I mean, I think just the level of consistency that we didn’t play with hurt, because I thought we had really good stretches of hockey throughout the year and put together some good games,.. but just the consistency night after night wasn’t there.”

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What does Morgan Rielly think about the potential of being asked to waive his no-move clause?

“It’s a challenging thing to answer when those conversations haven’t happened yet,” the 32-year-old defenceman said. “But after a year like this, after any year, but especially one that can be very disappointing, change is bound to happen. So, I think as an athlete you have to be prepared for that. It’s not the first time it’s crossed my mind. It’s not something that anyone believes that they’re not open to so when that conversation happens we’ll deal with it accordingly.”

Rielly spoke as if it’s a certainty the conversation will happen even though the team currently does not have a head of hockey operations. The longest-serving Leaf also spoke in the past tense at times during his media session.

“I’ve always loved being in Toronto and being a part of this organization,” he said. “It’s very meaningful to me and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”

Rielly, who was the fifth overall pick in the 2012 draft, later added, “I’ve always wanted to stay. I still want to stay. I love playing here. I love being a Maple Leaf and this organization means a lot to me.”

Rielly warned that a return to contention is not going to be a simple process for the Leafs.

“In this league I don’t think there’s any easy fixes,” he said. “The work that this team will have to put in to get back to where we want to be is extensive. Being outshot and playing too much time in D-zone are things we need to improve on, but it’s more than just that.”

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Does head coach Craig Berube expect to be back next season?

“Yes,” the 60-year-old said.

Berube later clarified that he has not been given any assurances and will be awaiting a decision from the new head of hockey operations.

Berube was also succinct when diagnosing what went wrong for the team this season.

“Goals against,” he said.

Only the last-place Vancouver Canucks allowed more goals than the Leafs. Toronto’s goals-against per game plummeted to 3.6 from 2.79 in the first season under Berube.

“Systems are systems and they have to be executed to be successful,” Berube said. “We have some good players here. We have to make some adjustments. We have to make some moves to bring in maybe some different players or different people, but there is a good core here, and good players, and good people. I do believe we can bounce back.”

The team struggled to fill the void left by 100-point winger Mitch Marner, who was nominated for the Selke Trophy during his time in Toronto.

“You’re going to miss a player of his calibre,” Berube said. “Every team, if they lose a guy like that, will miss him. At the same time, that is not the reason this season happened.”

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William Nylander had a simple explanation for Toronto’s troubles this year.

“A lot of injuries I think piled up and I think was maybe a big factor looking back at it,” said the winger.

Nylander led the team in scoring with 79 points despite missing 17 games due to injury.

The biggest injury issue was on the blue line as shutdown defenceman Chris Tanev suited up in just 11 games. How confident is the 36-year-old that he can return to his top form next season?

“Very confident,” Tanev said. “I feel like I work harder than anyone and I will continue to do that to get to where I need to be.”

Tanev underwent core muscle surgery in early March. He had a check up in New York earlier this week and was told the recovery is going well.

Tanev initially sustained a groin injury on Dec. 28 at the end of a game in Detroit.

“I just took a step and felt a pop,” he said. “Right when that happened I knew it wasn’t good ... Every doctor I saw said the exact same thing that you need surgery. I chose to wait for a little bit. I was hoping we were going to be in a playoff spot and I could try to come back and play in April. That was the goal and if that was the case I would have surgery after that.”

Tanev described his experience this season as “awful” and took some of the blame for Treliving’s firing.

“Obviously I’m pretty hard on myself and disappointed how I was only able to play 11 games and sort of let a lot of people down.”

Treliving signed Tanev to a six-year, $27-million deal in the summer of 2024.

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Instability in the crease also led to the goals against ballooning this season. Toronto’s team save percentage dipped from .912 last year to .897.

Stolarz and Joseph Woll formed one of the best tandems in the NHL last season, but did not dress in the same game this season until Jan. 23.

Woll missed most of training camp and the first 18 games of the season due to personal leave. Stolarz struggled under the weight of the greater workload.

“It was the first time in my career where I kind of had the ball in my court and was able to run with it,” the 32-year-old said. “I was trying to be this perfect goalie and strayed away from what made me successful. Looking back at it, probably if I would’ve had my normal mentality, my normal mindset, probably worked out a lot better.”

Stolarz called out the team for a poor start to the season just six games in.

“I thought we had a decent response after that,” the New Jersey native said. “I definitely didn’t help. That was probably the worst stretch of my season there, so kind of didn’t back up what I said.”

Stolarz stressed that the controversial comments did not have a big impact on his play because teammates understood where he was coming from and showed support afterwards.

“It didn’t weigh on me at all,” he said. “I probably regret the way I went about it. It most definitely could have been handled in the room, but I think sometimes what we need is tough love.”

Amid a slow start to the season, Stolarz then sustained a nerve-related neck injury on Nov. 11.

After returning to the lineup just before the Olympic break, Stolarz seemed to regain the form that allowed him to lead the league in save percentage last year. But his season ended prematurely when he sustained a groin strain while making a routine save on April 8.

“It definitely sucks,” he said. “It’s a save I’ve made 500 times throughout the year between practice and games. I’ve been through injuries in my career so for me it’s not going to deter anything. I’m going to hit the rehab process hard and do everything I can this summer and early this spring to ensure everything is good to go for next year.”

Stolarz finished the season with an .893 save percentage in 26 games, which was down from .926 in 34 games last season.

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Woll missed four games with his own groin injury in December.

“Someone once said availability is the best ability so that’s definitely very important to me,” the 27-year-old said. “I do think I’ve grown a lot in that sense of understanding what my body needs and getting better and better at that. And that will be a goal for the offseason too is getting my body ready to go a full season and to play the games I want to play.”

Woll played 39 games this season, which was down from the career high of 42 he played last year. What’s his goal in terms of games played?

“Trying to decide if I want to share,” he said with a chuckle. “I’ll probably keep my goals internal for the time being, but it’s certainly more than 39 or 40. Yeah, I want to be a guy that plays night in, night out, that can stay healthy, that can be consistent.”

Woll dropped eight of his final nine decisions and finished the season with a career-worst .899 save percentage.

“At the end of the day, if I look at the season as a whole, I feel like I’ve maybe had some stuff left on the table,” he admitted. “I know what I’m capable of, what I’ve shown here before, and I don’t think I properly lived up to what I know I’m capable of and that part of it is very disappointing for myself.”

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Dennis Hildeby actually posted the best numbers among Toronto’s masked men this season. The team’s top goaltending prospect produced a .914 save percentage over 20 games (14 starts).

“I think I proved I can play in this league which is a good first step and take it from there and keep on improving,” the 24-year-old Swede said.

Hildeby is not waiver-exempt next season and believes he’s ready to start in the NHL during the 2026-27 season.

“That’s always the mindset and it’s definitely going to be the mindset coming in next year,” he said.

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Goaltending and injuries were not the only issues that sank the Leafs. The skaters also struggled to stick to Berube’s structure.

“Lack of execution, buy-in, emotion on everyone’s part including myself,” said winger Nick Robertson.

“I don’t think buy-in was an issue,” Berube stressed. “We’re trying to play a certain way here and I don’t think that we fully grabbed that buy-in that way.”

Defencemen Jake McCabe and Brandon Carlo were the only two regulars who finished with a plus rating.

Matthew Knies recorded an ugly minus-30 rating, which was the worst mark on the team.

“I wasn’t expecting to have the plus-minus I do, really,” said Knies, who also posted a career high 66 points. “We just needed to be better defensively. We just didn’t have that commitment to defending well and defending first before offence.”

John Tavares finished minus-28, which was by far the worst rating of his career. He hasn’t been this far below water since a minus-16 result as a second-year pro on Long Island.

“I just gotta be more consistent,” said Tavares, who led the team with 31 goals. “I had some really good stretches of hockey. Obviously, I have to look at areas where I have to get better and the checking side of things, the defending side of things. [I was] just on for too many goals against. Those things obviously frustrate you, but you just continue to reflect on where you need to be better and improve and that’s a major driving force. So, I obviously want to continue to be contributing like I am, but continue to push for more and expect a lot of myself to play at a high level. Everything I put into it, and still know and believe I can be a very impactful player for a while.”

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Tavares is the only Leafs player to dress in 82 games, but his season is apparently not done just yet. The 35-year-old centre plans to play for Canada at the upcoming World Championship in Switzerland.

“Obviously you want to be playing for the Stanley Cup, but any time you get the opportunity to represent your country, and certainly the stage I’m at, you don’t take it lightly,” said Tavares. “It could only benefit me to go play.”

Treliving is leading Hockey Canada’s management group alongside Pittsburgh Penguins assistant general manager Jason Spezza.

Tavares captained Canada at the 2024 World Championship.

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It’s possible Easton Cowan will also continue playing. The Leafs rookie winger is eligible to join the Toronto Marlies for their American Hockey League playoff run.

“I’d love to play more hockey, but it’s not my decision,” the 20-year-old said. “Whatever the management thinks is right, I’ll agree with them.”

Cowan spent most of the season in the NHL where he registered 11 goals and 18 assists in 66 games.

“I know I’m an NHL player and I feel comfortable, but I still have a lot more to give,” said Cowan, who played two games with the Marlies in November. “I know I’ll have a good summer and get bigger and faster.”

Cowan, who stands 6-foot, 190 pounds, was pleased that he was able to remain healthy despite enduring the grind of the NHL schedule for the first time.

“He became way more confident throughout the season as the season went on,” Berube observed. “He’s learning at the same time at the NHL level. Good future ahead of him. He has a great IQ. He has ice water in his veins. He is a worker. There is a lot of upside there.”

What’s the next step?

“The next level is learning how to finish at this level,” Berube said. “Keep working on the details of the game, the defensive side of the game, doing all of the right things, and managing the game.”

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Leafs lines in regular season finale:

Cowan - Tavares - Nylander

Knies - Domi - Robertson

Maccelli - Haymes - Lorentz

Pezzetta - Quillan - Tverberg

Rielly - Stecher

Benoit - McCabe

Ekman-Larsson - Villeneuve

Hildeby starts

Woll