The Toronto Maple Leafs have struggled this season, and while fans were hopeful they could stay competitive after losing Mitchell Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights, they haven’t lived up to expectations, and they are coming close to becoming sellers at the 2026 Trade Deadline if they can’t find a way to win some games and push their way into a playoff spot. While they still have a solid core of players, their depth has taken a hit with the departure of Marner, and it shows, which could force them to make some tough decisions.
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The Maple Leafs’ brass has continuously shut down any idea of their team retooling or rebuilding, but with the possibility of them missing the postseason, they will have to consider moving on from some players and doing a slight retool.
While it might seem crazy, there could be a world where the Maple Leafs consider trading Auston Matthews. He isn’t locked down long-term, making it possible that he would consider leaving at the end of his contract, and the team could consider getting assets back rather than losing him for nothing.
Obviously, any trade proposal involving Matthews isn’t a report or a rumour; it is a projected idea and is purely hypothetical. There have been zero reports indicating the Maple Leafs are open to trading Matthews, or that any team has shown interest in trying to pry him away from the Maple Leafs.
In a world where the Maple Leafs do consider trading Matthews, the Detroit Red Wings make sense as a potential fit. They are known for being willing to take swings on big-name players and have the cap space to make a deal work without any retention needed from the Maple Leafs.
So, let’s dive into what a league-altering blockbuster could actually look like.
Red Wings Land Matthews With Monstrous Trade Package
Matthews has a full no-movement clause through the 2027-28 season and has a $13.25 million cap hit. As of this moment, the Red Wings have just over $12.1 million in cap space, which makes it easy for them to fit his entire cap hit. For any deal to work, Matthews would have to be willing to waive his trade protection to join the Red Wings, and the Red Wings would have to convince the Maple Leafs to move him.
Assuming all of this gets worked out, then the Red Wings would make perfect sense as a fit. They are competitive and are looking to finally get back into the championship picture, and adding a superstar of Matthews’ caliber could help them do that.
Matthews has struggled offensively this season, and his defensive game has slipped. Even so, the Maple Leafs would still view him as a superstar, considering he is on pace to be one of the greatest goal scorers of all-time; the Red Wings would have to seriously pay up with a monstrous trade package.
Realistically, the Red Wings could acquire Matthews in exchange for Lucas Raymond, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, and two future first-round draft picks.
It’s an incredible trade package, but if the Maple Leafs were ever going to trade Matthews, this is the level any team with interest would have to reach. The Red Wings have the assets and prospects to make a deal work if Matthews ever requested a trade, but this would be league-altering, and the Maple Leafs would have to be sure he’s not interested in re-signing, similar to how the Vancouver Canucks handled Quinn Hughes before he was traded to the Minnesota Wild.
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