Auston Matthews could demand trade from Leafs in blockbuster statement by NHL insider

Auston Matthews in a Philadelphia Flyers sweater sounds like a fever dream, but Daily Faceoff's Matt Larkin is putting it on the board as one of his boldest calls for the 2026-27 NHL season.

His forecast goes like this. The Toronto Maple Leafs miss the playoffs again, Matthews tells management he's ready to move on, and a trade gets done during 2027 NHL Draft week.

Larkin filed it under his piping-hot takes.

Larkin does expect real progress in Year 1 of the John Chayka era, with better team speed and stronger play driving.

The problem is that the top five in the Atlantic Division is brutal to crack, and he sees Toronto inching toward a future built around Kirill Marchenko, William Nylander and Darren Raddysh instead of Matthews.

With one year left on his deal, Larkin believes Matthews wouldn't sit around for a retool to produce a true Cup contender.

Chayka, who Larkin says just proved he's fearless on the trade front, would cash out the most purely talented player ever to wear the Maple Leaf.

Larkin predicts Matvei Michkov, even with an improved physique, can't get on the same page as Rick Tocchet and ends up in a blockbuster that sends Matthews to the Flyers.

He points to the Leo Carlsson offer sheet as proof that GM Danny Briere will spend big on a star center.

On the Toronto side, Larkin says the Leafs would buy low on a high-ceiling talent while also picking up draft pick capital.

He notes they've already started building a Russian contingent with Marchenko and Sergei Bobrovsky.

Keep in mind this is a prediction, not a report from inside either organization.

Still, it's the kind of idea that gets people talking.

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